2008 Woodie Awards
Biking 101: Bike maintenance requires a few tools and a desire to learn
Kalen Ponche
Issue date: 9/14/06 Section: TruLife
"You need a good pump," he said. "Either a floor pump or a frame pump, which fits on the bike itself," he said.
Guess said another important part of bike care is lubricating any moving part including the chain and pivots using a good bike lubricant.
"You want to stay away from WD40," he said. "It's vegetable based so it tends to gunk up. It attracts a lot of dirt, especially on the chain."
If a chain is dry or rusted or makes a rattling sound, Guess said it's time to reapply a lubricant.
"Often chain lubricant is applied too liberally," he said. "It's easy to assume the outside needs lubrication, but it's the inside of the chain that needs it. You can spray it on as liberally as you want, but it's important to wipe it off once it's had a chance to seep in."
Lesson 2: Bike Laws
Donna Bailey, instructor of mathematics, said she daily takes her bike out and rides the half-mile to campus, like she's been doing for the past 20 years.
"I'll run into town for errands," she said. "It's an excuse to get some exercise. I like the gasoline savings and the fact I'm not polluting the environment."
Bailey said that although she's aware of the laws about bicycles, she sometimes sets a poor example for students.
"I always tell my husband if it's convenient for me to be a vehicle, I'll use those rules," she said. "If it's convenient for me to be a pedestrian, I'll use those rules."
In a business district, bikers are prohibited from riding on the sidewalk by Missouri statute 300.347. Police Capt. Tim King, of the Kirksville Police Department, said he sees a lot of bicycle violations on the Square. King said he also sees people biking the wrong way on a one-way street. Violations like these often lead to accidents, King said.
"[The accidents are] not where someone comes up behind the bicyclist or meets the bicyclist but where the bike came off of the side of the sidewalk and runs into a car," he said.
Guess said another important part of bike care is lubricating any moving part including the chain and pivots using a good bike lubricant.
"You want to stay away from WD40," he said. "It's vegetable based so it tends to gunk up. It attracts a lot of dirt, especially on the chain."
If a chain is dry or rusted or makes a rattling sound, Guess said it's time to reapply a lubricant.
"Often chain lubricant is applied too liberally," he said. "It's easy to assume the outside needs lubrication, but it's the inside of the chain that needs it. You can spray it on as liberally as you want, but it's important to wipe it off once it's had a chance to seep in."
Lesson 2: Bike Laws
Donna Bailey, instructor of mathematics, said she daily takes her bike out and rides the half-mile to campus, like she's been doing for the past 20 years.
"I'll run into town for errands," she said. "It's an excuse to get some exercise. I like the gasoline savings and the fact I'm not polluting the environment."
Bailey said that although she's aware of the laws about bicycles, she sometimes sets a poor example for students.
"I always tell my husband if it's convenient for me to be a vehicle, I'll use those rules," she said. "If it's convenient for me to be a pedestrian, I'll use those rules."
In a business district, bikers are prohibited from riding on the sidewalk by Missouri statute 300.347. Police Capt. Tim King, of the Kirksville Police Department, said he sees a lot of bicycle violations on the Square. King said he also sees people biking the wrong way on a one-way street. Violations like these often lead to accidents, King said.
"[The accidents are] not where someone comes up behind the bicyclist or meets the bicyclist but where the bike came off of the side of the sidewalk and runs into a car," he said.
