Bike Maintenance

After 100 miles, a bike can acquire a lot of dirt and grime. Filth from car exhaust and stuff picked and kicked up from the tires eventually end up on the bike and rider. I figure since I took a shower after a long ride, the bike needs a good cleaning too. I have already washed the clothes I wore. So, I decided to take a few hours on my day off and do it. Notice the monkey I have on my stem, he is my co-pilot...or am I his?


All my tools and supplies are at work, so I took the bike there and went at it. I put it on my stand, which is the Ultimate BRS-50R Recreation Repair Stand. Why an Ultimate Support Stand you ask? Because Depeche Mode uses Ultimate keyboard stands, and I am a geek like that. Anyway, I wiped the bike down with a cleaner and de-greased the chain. I also took the time to clean the wheels, wiping down each spoke, rim, and the tire itself. After the cogs and cassette was cleaned, I re-lubed the chain and oiled all moving parts.


Then, I noticed that one of my handle bar plugs was missing. Must have fell out somewhere between here and San Diego. What am I going to do? I am sure someone I know has a pair that they can give me. Or, I can buy some new ones. Since I am here at work, I decided to make a new pair. I took a piece of delrin, my calipers, and existing plug and went to the lathe. After about 45 minutes, I had a new pair of plugs.


Hey, they fit. I think these are temporary, I do not mind that they are white and kinda stand out. One of the best quotes of design, "If you cannot conceal it, you must reveal it". I might just make custom plugs in Freeform with Hot Wheels logos on it. Should not take me more that an hour to model one up. I am sure SwarmLA would love to have a pair to match the custom Hot Wheels pedal end caps I made for him.