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Top 5 Tips for Simple Bike Maintenance

It would be difficult to find a cyclist who claims the thrill of maintaining their bike was what initially attracted them to the sport. Let’s be honest, we would all rather spend our precious time riding our bike than cleaning it. However, like it or loathe it, bicycle maintenance plays a vital part in improving performance and simply can’t be ignored.

Professional cycling has shown over recent years that a focus on this area can provide the marginal gains required to propel you to victory. But what are the benefits for an everyday cyclist? Well, regular bicycle maintenance is proven to reduce mechanical problems, extend the life of your bike, and ultimately protect your investment. So, with this in mind, we’ve done our research and found the best ways to get all the benefits in a fraction of the time! Here are our top five simple tips for maintaining your bike.

Trek Travel's partner, Finishline Products

1. Work smarter, not harder

With so many intricate components and hard to reach places, removing stubborn grease and grime from your bicycle’s drivetrain is a notoriously difficult task! Thankfully, there’s a product on the market to help make this achievable and super quick. Finish Line Speed Degreaser’s no-rinse formula and turbo sprayer get to work instantly, displacing moisture, removing soils, and completely decontaminating all metal parts. It’s ideal to use on disc brake rotors, derailleur pivots, cassettes, chains, and any other metal components that need a thorough clean. As well as removing the need for hours of elbow grease, its “dry” degreasing technology quickly evaporates, leaving components and chains residue-free and ready to be lubricated. This clever cleaning product will extend the life of your drivetrain and ensure smooth, quiet shifting. It’s a big hit with our mechanics and saves time, making us more inclined to take on the task.

Trek Travel's partner, Finishline Products

2. Choose the right tool

You wouldn’t use a hammer to tighten a screw, and it’s the same logic when it comes to cleaning your bike. Using tools designed to access all the hard to reach places on your bike will save you time and ensure you’ve cleaned it thoroughly. With Finish Line’s Grunge Brush, cleaning chains and gears has never been faster or easier. Working in conjunction with a degreaser, scrub your chain with the brush’s unique three-sided bristles to deep clean the chain’s plates and pins. Then, use the long bristles at the other end to clean cassette sprockets, derailleurs, cranksets, brakes, and pedals.

Trek Travel's partner, Finishline Products

3. Keep it clean

Keeping your bike clean is the best way to prevent wear and tear and optimize performance. Dirt left on your frame, wheels, and components will affect your bike’s efficiency and can potentially cause long term damage. A bucket of soapy water has been the “go-to” for most, but research suggests this can be harmful to paint and means the extra time-consuming steps of rinsing and drying. Our team uses Finish Line’s Super Bike Wash. This fast-acting and powerful cleaner requires no water and can be sprayed on and wiped off with a towel. It protects your paint and leaves your bike looking like new. It’s high surface tension and eco-friendly cleaning agents are non-toxic, biodegradable, and make it safe to use indoors and out.

Trek Travel's partner, Finishline Products

4. Lube it correctly

Once your bike is clean, it’s all about choosing the right lube. If you lube it right, not only will you get optimal performance, but you’ll also have less maintenance work to do at the end of each ride! We recommend choosing between Finish Line’s Dry and Wet Lubricants depending on riding conditions.

Optimized for variable conditions, dry Lube goes on wet and sets up with a dry, wax-like synthetic film. It helps keep your chain clean by not absorbing excessive amounts of grit, grime, or dust. Perfect for everyday riding, its Teflon fluoropolymers coats the chain in a water-resistant film, while reducing friction and wear on all surfaces.

Wet lube is the strongest, longest lasting, and most water-proof lubricant. Wet lube goes on wet, never washes off, and delivers quiet riding, smooth shifting, and easier pedaling. Its water-repelling synthetic oils will protect your chain in the harshest conditions.

To find the perfect bicycle lubricant for your next trip, visit Finish Line’s website and use their handy Lube Selector Tool.

Trek Travel's partner, Finishline Products

5. Less mess after you’ve cleaned

Tidying up the mess after cleaning your bike is a task that interests no one, ever! Our time is precious, so any steps we can take along the way to minimize the clean-up operation at the end are welcome. Tools like Finish Line’s No Drip Chain Luber were invented for exactly this reason! Save money by avoiding spilled lube and ensure every link in your chain is properly lubricated without wasting a drop. Simply fill the No Drip Chain Luber with your lubricant of choice and while backpedaling, place the applicator head on the chain and squeeze the bottle. A wicking pad in the applicator head ensures every link is evenly coated, without lube dripping or flying all over the place.

Most importantly, it will save you clearing up time and allow you to get on with more important tasks, like planning your next cycling trip.

 

There’s Always the Van

When I got on the plane to Italy in October 2006 for our Trek Travel Tuscany trip, I knew nothing about the van. A week later, the van was to become one of my favorite things about a Trek Travel trip.

Words by Deb Dingwall, Trek Travel Guest

We landed in Florence and spent the next couple of days exploring the city before hopping on a bus and heading out to the Tuscan countryside with our fellow Trek Travel guests. What I remember most about that first day was standing astride my bike in the Val d’Orcia, gazing up at the lovely hilltop town of Pienza, and thinking, “How beautiful but what the hell have I gotten myself into?” You need to understand that I grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska (Go Big Red!) and was very comfortable with a relatively flat landscape of the Midwest. And while I had spent plenty of time skiing in Colorado as I was growing up, that was downhill. Grudgingly, I clipped in and started to slowly ascend towards the town, my husband Adam alongside me.
 
 
Trek Travel Tuscany Bike Tour
 
 
Our Trek Travel guide, Dave Edwards, rode up next to us and noticed I was struggling. “Just put it in your easiest gear and pedal slowly” he said. I wasn’t about to break out my, “Don’t tell me what to do” attitude at this early in the game, so I did as Dave suggested and Adam and I made our way up to the town. From the walls of Pienza we gazed across the valley and a shot of reality hit me, each and every town seemed to be at the top of a hill. From our vantage point we could see enough hilltop towns to make my heart sink a bit, and I wondered how the rest of the trip was going to be. I was very convinced I would never let Adam talk me into another one of these vacations.

That night we enjoy an amazing Italian four-course feast with plenty of wine. Dave stopped by our table during dinner to ask how the first day went. Admittedly I was a bit down, and I told him the elevation for the rest of the week looked daunting as it wasn’t quite what I had expected. “Simple,” Dave said, “there’s always the van. You don’t want to ride up the hill, just let us know and we’ll boost you to the top in the van. It’s your vacation.”

“There’s always the van” became my new mantra, and one that I’ve shared in numerous conversations about Trek Travel. It is my vacation and if part of what I want on vacation is relief from some of the cycling challenges that are an awesome part of every Trek trip, I’m allowed to jump in the van. I’ve been known to do that for a boost up a steep hill, a rest after lunch for a bit, or at the beginning of the day if I’m not quite feeling up to the start.
 
 
Trek Travel Supported Bike Tours
 
 
I’ve boosted up climbs in Tuscany, France, Vermont, California, Oregon, and the San Juan Islands just to name a few. My reluctance about that first climb up to Pienza disappeared with the realization that the van was there to enhance my, and any Trek Travel guest’s, experience.

Adam did talk me into another trip, and another, and another. This July we will take our 11th trip with Trek Travel, this time to the California Wine Country. I’ve grown to enjoy the riding–and even the climbing–so much more than I did on that first trip. But ever since my childhood days skiing in Colorado, the downhills have always been, and always will be, a love of mine. And if you ever have the chance to descend into Bend off of Mount Bachelor, do it.

A Trek Travel vacation is so much more than cycling. It’s food and wine, conversation and amazing scenery. It’s the bike and the guides. And sometimes, it’s the van.
 
 
Trek Travel Oregon Crater Lake Bike Tour
 
 

Private

If a date is marked as Private, it is reserved for a private group.

Looking to travel with a small group or looking for a custom date?
Call our trip consultants at 866-464-8735

What is the Difference?

Ultimate Luxury:

Savor some of the most spectacular, 5-star properties in the world. Exuding luxury and elegance, these one-of-a-kind accommodations offer the chance to rejuvenate at award-winning spas, dine at Michelin-starred restaurants, and more.

Luxury:

Enjoy luxurious accommodations handpicked for a refined experience. From signature spa treatments to delicious local cuisine, you’ll be more than provided for; you’ll be pampered.

Explorer

These handpicked hotels provide relaxation and fun in a casual and comfortable environment. Delicious cuisine and great service mix perfectly for a memorable stay.

Combined

On select cycling vacations, you’ll stay at a mix of hotel levels, from Explorer to Luxury to Ultimate Luxury. Rest assured, no matter which level of hotel you’re at, our trip designers carefully select every accommodation.

Activity Level

Level 1:

Road: 1-3 hours of riding. Up to 25 mi (40 km). Up to 1,000 ft (300 m).

Gravel: 1-3 hours of riding. Up to 20 mi (35 km). Up to 1,000 ft (300 m).

Hiking: 1-3 hours of hiking. Up to 5 mi (8 km). Up to 1,000 ft (300 m).

Level 2:

Road: 2-4 hours of riding. 20-35 mi (35-60 km). Up to 2,500 ft (750 m).

Gravel: 2-4 hours of riding. 15-30 mi (25-45 km). Up to 2,000 ft (300 m).

Hiking: 2-4 hours of hiking. 4-8 mi (6-12 km). Up to 1,500 ft (450 m).

Level 3:

Road: 3-5 hours of riding. 25-55 mi (40-85 km). Up to 4,500 ft (1,500 m).

Gravel: 3-5 hours of riding. 20-40 mi (35-60 km). Up to 3,000 ft (900 m).

Hiking: 3-5 hours of hiking. 6-10 mi (9-16 km). Up to 2,000 ft (600 m).

Level 4:

Road: 4+ hours of riding. 40-70 mi (60-110 km). Up to 8,000 ft (2,400 m).

Gravel: 3-5 hours of riding. 30-50 mi (45-80 km). Up to 4,000 ft (1,200 m).

Hiking: 4+ hours of hiking. 7-15 mi (11-24 km). Up to 4,000 ft (1,200 m).

What are your trip styles?

Classic - Reserve:

Savor the finer things as you relax in luxurious 5-star accommodations and wine, dine, and ride in some of the most unforgettable destinations around the world.

Classic - Signature:

Explore beautiful destinations by bike, enjoy extra inclusions, savor delicious local cuisine, and enjoy the perfect mix of accommodations.

Classic - Discovor:

Enjoy a casual cycling vacation with fantastic routes and comfortable accommodations.

Ride Camp:

Train like the pros in some of their favorite riding destinations.

Pro Race:

See the pros in action at the biggest cycling events of the year.

Cross Country:

Tackle an epic adventure that takes you point-to-point across mountains, countryside, and more.

Self-Guided

Enjoy a bike tour on your schedule with just your chosen travel companions.

Single Occupancy

Sometimes it’s more convenient and comfortable to have your own room while on vacation. We understand and that’s why we offer a Single Occupancy option. The additional price guarantees a private room all to yourself