Schwinn Bicycle Maintenance

When you buy a Schwinn, you are buying a quality bicycle. Even if you buy a nice bike, however, you will still need to maintain and take care of it or the value of your purchase is pointless. Maintaining your Schwinn is easy, but the proper steps must frequently be taken to ensure your bicycle will take you from point A to point B for years to come.

  1. Bicycle Care

    • One of the main rules of thumb in Schwinn bicycle maintenance is to keep your bike clean. A dirty bike with a build-up of grime can result in bigger problems than just a dirty one. Cleaning your bicycle does not take long, especially if you perform routine cleaning (preferably after every ride where your bike gets wet or muddy). Routine cleaning will save you time, money and a faulty bicycle later on. Other maintenance tasks should be performed routinely, but cleaning and lubing are by far the most important.

    Drivetrain

    • The drivetrain is made up of the chain, front chainrings and the rear cogs--the parts responsible for pushing your bike forward. If your cogs and chainrings are especially dirty, a toothbrush is a great scrubbing device (paired with a citrus-based de-greaser), or if you use a rag to clean your bike, use a separate rag for this part of the job. A major drivetrain scrubbing should only be done when you can see a considerable residue build-up.

    Chain

    • When you wash your bike, it is a great idea to lube your chain while you are there. When your bike gets squeaky, it is a good indication that it needs lube. Purchase a chain lube at your local bike shop, and you should not use WD-40 because it attracts road gunk and actually rusts chains faster. While you turn the pedals backward, lube the interior of the chain and wipe the excess lube off with a towel or rag.

    Tires

    • In addition to keeping your bike clean and your chain lubed, it is important to spend time on what keeps your bike connected to the road: your tires. Use a tire gauge to see if you need to put air in your tires. If you do, use a basic bicycle tire pump, which you can buy at your local bike dealer. If your tire gets punctured, you can most likely get the hole patched up at a bike shop to save you from having to buy a new one.

    Monitor Your Bike

    • In Schwinn bicycle maintenance, it is important to keep a close eye on the hardware and various parts of the bike. Your Schwinn might not always need something done to it, but when it does, you will be prepared.