Get Your Bike Ready for Spring

Get Your Bike Ready for Spring

EAST LANSING - With the weather warms up, many people cannot wait to ride their bikes again. But before you do that, make sure your bike is safe and functional after the winter season.

Some common problems found in bikes enduring the winter include rusty chains, flat tires, and ineffective brakes and shifters.

"A lot of the times, they (bikers) come in looking for oil to get it for the chains, and also for their brakes and shifters," said Tim Potter, Sustainable Transportation Manager at the MSU Bikes Center.

As a certified bike friendly university, Michigan State just installed five Do-it-yourself bike repair stations on the campus, making the total number eight. The stations are free to use by all, with pumps and basic tools.

Potter provided some suggestions as to how to tune up your bikes by yourself with very simple or even no tools.

"Basically you want to drip the oil on the chain, and depending on how rusty the chain is, you might have to go around a bunch of times. And a lot of people say how much air I should put in my tires. That’s written right on the side wall somewhere on every tire. On this tire, it is kind of small and hard to read, but it's written right here, says minimum pressure 40, maximum pressure 65," said Potter.

The MSU Bikes Service Center also provides some free classes, teaching people some fix up tips such as changing tires, lubing chains, adjusting brakes, and shifters. The most recent two workshops are scheduled for March 23rd and March 30th.

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