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Lubing, Pumping, and Cleaning: Getting Prepped For Bike to Work Week
by Jeff Livorsi
Bike To Work Week
With the Bike Commuter Challenge coming up next week, Team Mightybytes will be participating for the second year in a row. Bryan took the initiative and signed our office up and has stepped up to be our team leader. During Bike to Work Week we plan to have a MightyRide. We planned a central location where hopefully everyone can meet up or they will be able to meet us as we plan to ride straight up Clark Street. The details are as follows:
Date: Wednesday, June 13
Time: 8AM
Location: Corner of North Ave and Clark Street
Route: Head North on Clark Street until we reach the office (5347 N. Clark Street)
Distance: 5.1 miles
Keeping Your Bike Happy
Although some of us are Masters of the Interwebz, Scrum Masters, and other have Master’s Degrees not all of us are biking masters. So we decided to hold a couple of demonstrations for the office to make sure that we are all prepared for next week. Bryan gave a fantastic demonstration on how to fix a flat tire and it came at a great time because Joy got a flat a few days ago. So it was a perfect opportunity for her to get her bike fixed and Bryan to show the office a very necessary skill. After Bryan’s presentation I went over proper bike maintenance (cleaning, lubing, etc.)
Here are the steps Bryan went through to replacing Joy’s flat tire.
- Release the tire
- Open the brakes
- Take the tire out
- Make sure all of the air is pumped out of the tire
- Remove the tire & tube from the rim
- Check for things poking through the rubber
- Take the fresh tube and inflate it slightly so it has shape and put inside the tire
- Work the tube & tire back onto the rim
Here is a video of Bryan changing Joy’s tire.
Bike Maintenance
After Bryan showed us how to fix a flat, I dove into the proper way to maintain a bike. I discussed:
- Cleaning
- Lubrication
- Keeping air in the tires
- Keeping everything tight
Along with all of these necessary tools I then showed the team how to clean and lubricate the chain. Since I didn’t have my chain cleaner or degreaser with me I went the “poor-mans” route. I figured that would be better since I don’t expect every single Mightybytes employee to go out and buy a chain cleaner for their bike. So I took a rag and cleaned joys bike. I wiped off all of the dirt from her gears, sprockets, and chain. Then I showed the team how to properly lubricate the chain. Once I finished I wiped off any excess lube and Joy’s bike was ready to go.
Final Lap
Team Mightybytes is really excited to bike next week, and it’s going to be a great opportunity for all of us to share our commuting stories. Some of these stories will be positive and some will be negative, but the journey we all take will be one to remember. Until 2013 when we do it again!
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