This entry is cross posted at my financial blog, Uncommon Cents:

I have a really big bike ride coming up in a week. I’ve been training, although not as much as I usually do, and engaging in very little bike maintenance. This weekend I took a day off from training and instead concentrated on some maintenance that resulted in a better feeling bike without much cost. What did I do?

1) Change cables: both brake and derailleur cables made the shifting and braking feel much snappier. It’s also a safety precaution–over time these can break, and since this bike was used I don’t know how long it’s been since the last time they were changed.

2) Change chain: a new chain also can make your bike shift a lot snappier than it had in the past. It also gives you the opportunity to check out your whole drivetrain and do a little cleaning, which helps not just with performance but durability.

3) Rewrap handlebars: One of the things that costs about nothing (I use tape designed to rewrap over and over again), this is one of the things that really helps with refreshing the whole feel of the bike. Your hands are in contact with the bike almost 100% of the time; changing the wrap changes the feel. It can also make gripping the bar more comfortable.

4) Wipe down: Costs about nothing but certainly makes the bike feel–or at least look–different. Yes, it’s largely psychological, but it’s worth doing.

I can’t afford a new bike every year–even if I want one. But I can make my older machine feel newer almost any old time by doing one or more of the four changes above. It certainly makes me feel more comfortable about my ride whenever I do one of them!

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