Health & Fitness
DIY Del Ray: Spring Bike Maintenance with VéloCity Co-op
Get your bike in shape for spring and summer riding with hands-on help from our new neighborhood bike coop.
I can't tell you how awesome it is to trek down to a bike shop only blocks from my home with my bike and my two daughters' bikes for a quick spring tune-up.
Christian Myers, the co-founder of VéloCity Bicycle Cooperative, a DIY bicycle workshop and educational space that in Del Ray, is there to give you hands-on help on the spot, no appointment necessary. You can also do everything you want with your bike yourself and use his stands and supplies, for a small (and I mean small) donation of $10 an hour. They also welcome donations of bicycles, bicycle parts, and tools.
Nadja pulled her tricycle in the shop. Christian looked at the issue in which the notch to allow the handle bars to turn got stuck. He took the entire set of handle bars off to reveal (gasp!) considerable rust. After using a lot of degreaser and elbow grease, he sadly pronounced it unfixable. Oh, it's also missing a pedal. Nadja can still pedal it around the yard though.
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Word to the wise: With expensive Kettler trikes, avoid leaving them in the rain. Granted, our trike is 6 years old, and wasn't left outside all that often.
Next up was Ana's bike. It got some lube on the chain with her turning the wheel, some air in the tires, and it was good to go. We also raised the seat a bit to account for her winter growth spurt.
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It took a big heave-ho to get my cargo bike on the stand. It's an extra long bike called an Xtracycle, with what's called a "long tail" where we've mounted a baby seat. There's also room back there for Ana to sit and hold on to a handlebar behind my seat.
Christian pointed me to the workbench to retrieve one of the Philips-head screwdrivers so he (I mean, we) could adjust the brakes. My bike didn't need much more than that.
A triple bike tuneup in less than an hour. My husband needs to stop by soon with his bike and we'll be all set, until it comes time to learn how to fix a flat.
For more information, visit http://www.velocitycoop.org.
For more from DIY Del Ray, see http://www.diydelray.com
