The two most reliable ways to annoy your fellow riders are 1) show up late for a ride and expect folks to wait on you while you fumble around. 2) Be that rider who is always shouting “Wait!” because you dropped something, or something fell off of your bike.
A third widely recognized method of aggravating riding companions (and yourself) is to suffer from easily avoidable “mechanicals.”
How are we to avoid these pitfalls? Actually, it’s not hard. The key is preparation and post ride action.
Think of it like this, your ride starts the day before. That’s when you begin your preparations. Go over your bike. Make sure that everything is on it, and it all works. Check to be sure that everything is working, and it’s all secured. Then prepare and assemble the rest of your gear, in one place, ready to go. Here’s the day before checklists.
Bike:
- Clean enough
- Tires holding air
- Chain lubed
- Driveline working (shifting up and down correctly in all gears, front and rear)
- Saddle secure and at correct height
- Handle bars not loose
- Steering free and correct (not binding and no “clunks”)
- Brakes working, front and rear
- Accessories all firmly attached and working (Under seat pack, Lights, bells, bottle cages, etc. If it’s connected to your bike, check it!)
Support Gear:
- Pump ready (near bike)
- Helmet hung with bike
- Water bottles (or back pack reservoir) clean and filled with fresh water. (Okay, go ahead and put this stuff with the bike now!)
- Batteries charged (if you are going on a night ride)
- Tools (inventoried and in under seat pack)
- Spares (tubes, patches, and anything else you use) inventoried and stowed correctly
- FOOD (enough said?)
- Ride clothing, shorts, jersey, gloves, jacket, socks, glasses, etc. (go ahead and lay it all out now.)
- After ride clothing (You really don’t want to keep wearing your riding clothes for longer than necessary, do you?)
One more thing. Timing. Arrive a bit early. Give yourself some time to unload your bike, pump tires, check and stow your gear properly, and do it all well before the agreed upon ride time.
After the Ride: We mentioned Post Ride Action. This is it. Consider this to be part of the ride. Do these things as soon as you get home, and you’re already on the way to being ready for the next ride.
- Clean the bike.
- Inspect tires for foreign objects, thorns etc, cuts, or other damage.
- Lube the chain
- Check bearings, wheels, brakes, shifting. If something needs attention, or repair, go ahead and make the arrangements now.
- Empty and rinse out bottles or back pack reservoir, and hang to dry now.
- Get that clothing into the wash
- Inventory and replenish any tools, spares, and supplies used
- Clean it, Inspect it, fix it, replace it, put it away, and do it now.
Today’s Term(s):
yard sale n. (from skiing) a horrendous crash that leaves all your various "wares" -- water bottles, pump, tool bag, etc. -- scattered as if on display for sale.
Mechanical any problem with the bike, (flats, bad shifting, brake failures, something coming loose) that stops your ride.
Taco damage to a wheel (usually from poor maintenance coupled with overly exuberant riding) that results in the wheel resembling the famed Mexican food shell.
Three-hour tour n. a ride that looks like a piece of cake at the outset but turns out to be a death march. Derived from the theme song to "Gilligan's Island."
This series, running every Tuesday, is intended to help those who are new to mountain bike riding. By no means is it an exhaustive treatment, but it is our fond hope that it will help you, the beginner, to begin to enjoy riding your bike off road.
Future Topics:
Bike Types
What to carry (& why & how)
Standing and staying loose (expect the unexpected)
Trail Care & Maintenance
Hydration
Track Stand
Bunny Hop
Wheelie
“Cleaning” the mud
Your next mountain bike or Mountain Biking 201
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