Preventative maintenance is the key to keeping your indoor cycling bikes in great shape year after year. It’s absolutely imperative to properly maintain anything mechanical, like your bikes. Preventative maintenance addresses a bike’s needs and promotes smooth operation class after class.
Taking care of your bikes on a daily, weekly and monthly basis will keep your members happy, promote a positive image of your program and facility, and in the long run, save you and your facility money. Here are a few tips to keep your bikes good as new.
1. Number your bikes. Put a number on each bike so you can record problems and track part replacements and services carried out on each one.
2. Use a logbook. Using a logbook ensures all service and problems get logged and a tech can see what has been done to each and every bike.
3. Wipe bikes down after each class. Ask students to help with this after each and every class, but don’t assume they will do a perfect job. Also, if possible have a staff member do a full wipe down each and every day. Keep them clean!
4. Raise them up. Raise handlebars and seat positions after the last class of the day to allow moisture to dissipate and dry. This helps to avoid corrosion.
5. Perform comprehensive detailing once a week. Someone should be responsible for comprehensive detailing — from top to bottom — at least once a week. Clean rags or towels and bike polish or bike detailer works best.
6. Do a full lube and tightening of all hardware once a month. Always have a tool set and appropriate cleaning supplies on hand. Do not use WD-40 to lubricate. Use a dry Teflon-based lubricant to help promote mobility.
7. Check levelers monthly. Make sure the levelers haven’t started to unscrew all the way out of the thread barrels.
8. Rotate the bikes. Move the bikes periodically to help ensure a more even wear of all the bikes.
9. Use a good service tech. Choose a tech that actually rides the bikes or who participates in indoor cycling classes and keeps good records of each bike in the logbook.
10. Don’t stretch on the bike. Cleats can chip the powder coating and bar coating, so take advantage of numerous leg stretches off the bike.
Take good care of the bikes and they will take good care of you! Enjoy the ride!
John Cook is the director of industrial design at Mad Dogg Athletics®, home of Spinning®, Peak Pilates®, Bodyblade®, Resist-A-Ball®, Ugi®, Crosscore® and Kettlebell ConceptsTM. For more information visit www.maddogg.com or e-mail them at info@spinning.com.
