Today, bicycles are true precision machines. Gone are those times where mechanics were something simple and intuitive, now everything is much more sophisticated.
And yes, bicycles must be taken care of, either to increase safety, to extend the useful life of the components or to optimize the athlete's performance.
Jorma Bike, the reference cycling shop in Andorra, has been selling and repairing bicycles for almost 40 years. His workshop receives more than 2,500 copies each year, from children's bicycles to the most exclusive units, including the road companions of some top-level professional cyclists.
Among other prominent names, Peter Sagan, Miguel Induráin, Annemiek van Vleuten, Alberto Contador or Enric Mas have trusted the Jorma Bike workshop in recent years.
Its 4 mechanics, Mauro, Xavi, Sergi and Alejandro, give us some tips to keep our bike in excellent condition.
Keeping the spokes and bearings in good condition, as well as adequate tire pressures, will help to have less resistance and greater inertia.
The plate and pinion gears must be perfectly adjusted and greased, in order to change development in an agile and precise way.
In this sense, single-plate transmissions are a bit simpler, since they consist of fewer elements.
They are surely the most important safety mechanism on bicycles. Whether they are shoe or disc, the good condition of the brakes facilitates a comfortable descent without failures, avoiding the typical scares in the most complicated curves.
In addition, they will also help us avoid any unforeseen events on the route, such as potholes or stones.
One of the most complex elements of mountain bikes. It is recommended to change seals every 100 hours of use and to do a general inspection of the suspension system every 200 hours. In this way, the useful life will be extended and the precision and comfort of these components will be increased.
The only point of contact with the ground must be in perfect condition. Greater adherence and control translate into greater safety. On the other hand, if the wear is excessive, we will have more possibilities of suffering a puncture.
Periodically, the bicycle should also be washed, especially without pressurized water and with specific products. If this cleaning is carried out by an expert mechanic, you can take care of critical points, such as bearings, cables and covers, joints...
As a general rule, all bicycles require regular maintenance. Normally, the most common repairs are changing the brake pads and chain, despite the fact that their wear depends a lot on the driving style of each cyclist.
It must also be taken into account that electric bicycles and mountain bikes are the ones that require the most care, approximately every 1,000 kilometres. On the other side we find the road ones, which should go through the workshop every 3,000 kilometers.
Now that many of us have already started training as if there were no tomorrow, we don't want failures on our bikes. Reviewing the points we have discussed will make us go faster and safer, since "in cycling, more maintenance means better performance".
