February 22, 2009

Zen & the Art of Bicycle Maintenance

It's still February, but at least today it's only raining in New York and not snowing. The way I see it, two straight days of 50 degree weather means the start of biking season. Maybe just another week away!

My wife finally broke me down and convinced me to get a helmet. She's right. Plus I look at it from a frugal, economic standpoint. I'm investing a good amount of money by going to school, I should keep that brain of mine intact.

My problem with helmets (besides the obvious looking-like-a-dork thing) is that they're made out of harmful poly-plastics and Styrofoam. I'm on a crusade against plastic, but I just don't have a choice in this one. I briefly considered making my own helmet out of a watermelon, but that's even dorkier than the store-bought option.

Speaking maintenance, when oiling up your chain avoid using your household 3-in-1 oil. That attracts dirt and will just make things harder on you. For nearly the same price, find some Rock'N'Roll lube at your bike shop. It's made with a Teflon type lubricant and one 5oz. bottle should get you through at least 2000 miles.

http://www.rocklube.com


They should probably pay me for that.

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