The ice cream trucks are out, there are bulbs poking up in the parks and cyclists are again flocking to the city’s paths, bridges and new on-street lanes. Last year was a bumper year for New York City bicycling, particularly for commuters. Starting today, City Room will explore all aspects of urban cycling with a regular feature, Spokes.
Americans across the country rediscovered cycling as an inexpensive way to get around as gas prices shot up last year. In New York, an increase in transit fares this year may keep the trend going, with many of our readers vowing to cycle more.
Spring and the Art of Bike Maintenance
Spring is a great time to get bicyles ready. While major repairs are best left to bike shop mechanics, anyone can add air to tires and lube chains.
By Sean Patrick Farrell on Publish Date March 24, 2009.Sales of new bikes did not jump much nationwide, but people were clearly dragging their old steeds out of storage and getting them tuned up. Some of these bikes seem to date to the late 1970s, and there was even a run on that era’s 27-inch tires, a size that has not been seen on new makes since the Carter administration.
Whether it’s a beater, a 10-speed, fixed-gear, cyclo-cross or commuter model, a bicycle needs regular maintenance, and spring is a good time to get yours ready for another riding season, even for those who kept riding through winter. The video tutorial in this post has some basic tips for people who may have had theirs in storage for a while.
“The city is a rather rough environment for a bike,” said Eric Schofield, the general manager and a mechanic at Bicycle Habitat, a bike shop on Lafayette Street near Spring Street in Manhattan. “When people are using their bikes, they need to keep them working.”
Mr. Schofield said he has seen a recent shift in New Yorkers’ perception of bikes from “toys” to “tools,” as more and more people rely on them for regular transportation. Before hopping on again this spring he stressed proper tire inflation, proper lubrication of chains and other moving parts and making sure brakes are properly adjusted. While the video offers a quick tutorial, as is the case with automobiles, any unusual sounds or obvious safety concerns should be checked out by a professional mechanic.
Most bike shops offer repairs and tuneups, but the wait time often gets longer as the weather gets warmer. The warm spell last week doubled the usual repair turnaround time, to 48 hours from 24 hours, at Pedal Pushers, an Upper East Side bike shop. Snow on the first day of spring slowed business enough for mechanics to catch up.
Roger Bergman, the owner of Pedal Pushers, recommends a tuneup every 1,000 miles or every six months.
Bicycle Habitat, which has two or three mechanics at the ready, claims a 25-minute or shorter turnaround for most repairs.
The shop also offers popular bike repair classes that range from fixing flat tires to full tuneups. A six-week course covering everything from gear cable replacement to hub overhaul is $300.
The advocacy group Transportation Alternatives maintains a list of bicycle shops around the city. Sites like Yelp also have user ratings and reviews of local shops.
Cyclists may want to take advantage of the less structured drop-in classes taught by volunteer mechanics. Time’s Up, the nonprofit environmental group, may be better known for its involvement with the publicized Critical Mass monthly rides, but it also offers basic instruction in bicycle maintenance and other types of events. Bill DiPaola of Time’s Up directed people to the online schedules.
On a recent Sunday afternoon, a small class at Time’s Up’s new location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, took in a lesson on wheel repair for a suggested $5 donation. Among the participants was Eric Berkow, 28, who had come from his home in Harlem to learn how to overhaul his wheel bearings.
As Mr. Berkow dug into his wheel’s innards, he explained that he’d been getting around the city almost exclusively by bicycle for two years. So, for a regular rider like him, if he adhered to the expert’s bike maintenance recommendations, his tuneup would be after about 300 times across the Williamsburg Bridge, starting from the Bedford stop and ending at the First Avenue stop on the L line.
Mr. Berkow, who said he is not “a fan of the train,” made sure to add that he regularly beats the L line to Manhattan from Williamsburg.
Spokes is a new City Room feature about cycling in New York.
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