Building a cycling culture, bit by bit

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/06/2017 (3255 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As cycling culture heats up in Winnipeg, and people refurbish old Norcos and Sekines for their commutes, there are bound to be more bikes in need of repair.

Public bicycle repair stands, like the one installed on Bishop Grandin Greenway at Dakota Street this month, can come in handy if you need to do some unscheduled maintenance.

Here’s a quick run-down of what you’ll find on this new feature.

Bike stand — Stick your seat post between the two prongs of the stand to hold your bike off the ground and make it easier to work on;

Tire pump — You know what this is for;

Flathead screwdriver — Your run-of-the-mill flat blade screwdriver. Handy for various brake and derailleur adjustments. Also handy for prying a twig out of your gears;

Phillips screwdriver — A #2 “cross tip” screwdriver. Can likewise be used for brake and derailleur adjustments;

Tire levers — One of the more critical tools for bike repairs. Tire levers allow you to pry the bead of a tire over the edge of a rim to get it off, and to pry it back on to the rim when you’re re-installing it. It’s that last little bit that’s the hardest;

(Tip: pump a little bit of air in the tube before putting it back in the tire. That will keep it from binding or snagging when you put the tire back on.);

Allen wrenches — There are likely numerous things on your bike that use an Allen wrench (a.k.a. hex keys), from your handlebars to cable clamps to your water bottle cage;

Headset wrench (30/32 mm) — Use the headset wrench to tighten the ring bolts right above the head tube to tighten up your front forks;

Pedal wrench — Use this if you happen to need a mid-cycle pedal change. Be warned: your left pedal is reverse-threaded!

Miscellaneous wrenches (8/9/10/11 mm) — Ideal for repairs where a small wrench is required.

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That’s a quick round-up of what the new bike stand has to offer, but there are a few other things that you may want to carry with you:

Tire patch kit/replacement tube — The pump is great but not much use if you have nothing to pump up;

Small screwdriver — You may find that the one provided is too large to deal with the fiddly little adjustment screws on your brakes and derailleurs;

Chain breaker — No I’m not talking about the Zach Williams song. This is a small tool that, with a bit of practise, can allow you to remove a couple links to fix a broken chain;

Presta valve adapter — Needed to put air in the tires of mostly higher-end bikes.

Happy biking!

Derick Young is a community correspondent for Southdale who was a bike mechanic in a previous life.