Maintenance - Page 3

Ron Sawicki is a professional mountain bike mechanic (he is also Pau Sawicki's trainer). Here he gives some insightful tips on replacing your inner tube whilst out in the trails plus I added a bit on actually repairing the puncture itself. Often done back home.

Checking your bike set up is an useful discipline before a ride. It saves you stopping on the trails and holding the group up plus your more likely to have the tools at home than out with you. In essence it equates to more time in the...

Professional Team Mata racer Pua Sawicki talks us through the essential things to pack on a trail ride.

Shock set up. For many of us the move to a full suspension bike happened years after trials and trails on a hardtail. The rearshock is a blessing enabling more fun on our bikes but can be a mystery as to how to set up and maintain.

          Race preparation will ensure you leave the others behind. This covers the core bike elements to ensure you are confident that your steed is as fit and able as you are. It's all about winning really or at least riding really fast.

Recovery, If you need to be fighting fit the next day for life outside of biking (hmhhh!!) or even better you need to be fit to do it all again. Hurrah!! (although faster and better this time) then here are a few invaluable tips to get you there...

Training for the big ride or race. OK are you maybe a little daunted as to how your fitness will cope or do you maybe think you are fit and ready to ride? Are you so sure? Are you? Well read on and worry not...

A broken chain happens to us all and always seems to happen at the worst time on a ride. Mainly it happens when you have just done a descent and you are in the wrong gear preparing for the up and too much tension makes it snap.

The Flat! OK, It happens to us all. Sometimes it's due to your tyre going over something sharp sometimes you land hard and the tyre compresses the inner tube against the rim and you get that all too familiar pinch flat (or snakebite as looks like two little puncture wounds). either you...

Whether out on the trail or the dirt park for the day, many of the things for preparation and in riding energy are the same. Really it's simply about being prepared with a bit of common sense.