How-To Get Your Bike Ready For Spring: Pro Tips From South Side Cyclery

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The South Side Cyclery is the best side; family owned bike shop
has been getting St. Louis in biking gear for 74 years.

It's time to dust off your bike and grease your chains; bicycling season is upon us and no one knows bikes better than South Side Cyclery. South Side has been selling, tuning and repairing bikes from their South City store for almost 75 years. The biking experts at South Side are busy getting bikes old and new ready to hit trails and sidewalks all over the city right now, but they took a time-out to give us the pro's checklist for getting your bike ready for the season.

1. Check your tires - like a car, your bike won't get very far if the tires aren't in good condition. Wayne says if the tires are cracked and dry, or if they aren't holding air you may need to replace them. During a professional tune up a bike mechanic checks the wheel bearings to make sure they are functioning properly, and tests the tension of the spokes when looking at the wheels. If your bearings seem to be loose or your spokes are wobbly you need to take your ride into a bike shop to have them adjusted and repaired.


2. Clean and lube your bike chain - Wayne said a lot people forget you should clean off old lubricants before adding new or it will gunk up the chains. Wayne recommends using a cycling specific lube because an auto lubricant is too heavy and thick.


3. Test brake and gear cables - simply squeezing the grip for your brakes and depressing the gear shifters will tell you right away if there is something wrong. If there is a lot of tension or you can't pull the grips down at all you probably need to lubricate the cables by loosening the top and bottom of the connection and applying a few drops of lube at the top; gravity will pull the lube down and coat the cable.

   
   Wayne demonstrates the way to lubricate your bike cables.

4. Check crank and steering bearings - check to make sure there isn't play in the bearings by standing to the side of the bike and pulling the pedal towards you. You can check the bearings in the headset by shaking and turning to make sure it isn't wobbly or loose. Wayne said since these bearings are contained in sealed systems if they seem wobbly or loose you will need to take them into a bike shop for repair.

   
   Wayne demonstrates testing the crank bearings

5. Test out the gears - once you have determined that the breaks, tires and bearings are in order it is time to jump on your bike and run through the gears. If your bike won't shift or if it seems to be shifting sloppily you will need to take your bike into a shop to get the derailers (which help the bike shift) tuned by a professional.

After you have made sure all systems are a go you are ready to hit the popular bike trails around St. Louis like Castlewood, Chubb Trail and Greensfelder, or find a new trail to tackle on STL Biking's website.

If you need to see a mechanic to get your bike ready to rumble, South Side Cyclery is located at 6969 Gravois in South City. They are open Monday through Friday from 10am until 7pm and Saturdays from 9am until 5pm. They sell custom and off-the-rack bikes from Trek, Schwinn, Giant and more.  They offer repairs service in the shop and also sell parts and accessories. Wayne says the typical professional tune-up will cost you around $60.