TORRINGTON – Despite the occasional wind storm, downpour and snow flurry, it is spring and anyone who enjoys a bicycle trip across the mostly flat terrain of Goshen County, whether as a form of exercise or transportation, now is a good time to give your ride a thorough spring maintenance.
Mark Perkins, owner/technician at Blazer Bicycles in Torrington said people have a tendency to jump on their bike and start pedaling, even though it may have been sitting outside or in a cold, dusty garage during the winter months, a condition that can leave tires weak or flat, and chains and cables dry and rusty, ready to pop off
or break.
“There are a few things a person should look over before jumping on their bike after six or seven months of non-use,” Perkins explained. “Obviously, one of the easiest to check are the tires, are they flat or worn. Once they are pumped up do they hold air.
“Also, one of the most important components on the bike are the brakes. You should check to make sure the brake pads aren’t worn down and that the brake handles aren’t hard to pull or feel mushy.”
One of the keys to telling if your bike is in good shape or needs some repair work is to inspect a clean bike. If it’s been hiding out in the garage all fall and winter, or in the barn, it is a good idea to start the inspection with a clean bike.
A garden hose and an attached spray nozzle, and a little bit of soap, is good enough to get the job done. A high pressure washer can force water into places it shouldn’t go, knock paint and handle bar tape off and create more problems than necessary.

“On thing people don’t give enough credence to are the seat posts,” Perkins added. “A good right means the bike is adjusted properly for the riders size, which means the seat needs to be adjusted from time to time. Especially if the rider is younger and still growing. A dirty, grimy seat post can be overly difficult to adjust.”
After cleaning and inspecting the bike for cracks and worn out parts, it is important to lubricate all the working parts, such as chains, derailleurs, brake lever pivots points and exposed brake cable.
“With newer cables that have plastic housing, lubing serve no purpose,” Perkins said. “And never use motor oil or other petroleum based lubes. It’s heavy and collects dirt really easy. Double D40 is not good either. It doesn’t stay on.
“Tri-Flow is considered one of the best for any lubrication and silicone is OK for shifters. But stay away from motor oil.”
One hazard southeast Wyoming is infamous for, especially among bike riders, is goat’s-head or puncture vine, a plentiful noxious and obnoxious weed whose fruit falls apart into burrs, each with four or five rhino-like spikes that have no trouble piercing the average bicycle tire. Fortunately, Perkins has a formula to combat the
pesky stickers.
“To avoid a flat tire every time someone tries to go for a ride,” he explained, “I put a liner in the tire, use thorn resistant tubes and then put Slime in the tubes, which helps keep the tire inflated if it does pick up a sticker.”
However, he does not recommend the use of solid tubes, which can be found in many bike departments of large box stores.
“Those solid tubes are hard to work with. It’s hard to get the tire on and off if you need to. I had to actually saw a set off just to get them off the rim. Plus they tend to get out of round and wobble. I don’t like them.”
As a last piece of advice, Perkins said that even new bicycle owners should take their bikes into a shop and have it rebuilt.
“Even for expensive bikes, often times they come from the factory with lose components or even components that are put on wrong. It’s especially true for bikes that are bought at discount or box stores. And even the factories don’t put the right amount of grease where it needs to be.
“I had someone bring in a bike they had just bought at one of the big discount stores because it wasn’t riding right, it felt funny. So I looked it over, and by golly, they had put the front forks on back wards. The brakes were on the inside instead of the outside and it didn’t balance very well.”
And most importantly, Perkins said, don’t forget to wear a helmet.
“A helmet is the number one precaution against serious injury in bike accidents. Get one and wear it.”