I don't know if this is true for you, but I always get more motivated to ride my bike during the Tour de France. I also worry a bit more about getting a flat or breaking my chain on the road because I don't have a team car following me.

BBC Sport published a nice review of basic bike maintenance that should be done on the compnents regularly. It's broken down into six categories:

• Cleaner (cleaning products to be used)
• Seat
• Handlebars
• Pedal
• Chain
• Wheel

I noticed that my rear wheel of my Trek 1500 was rubbing against the brake on my last ride, so I was worried that my wheel was getting out-of-true. This morning I checked it, found that the break assembly was pulled slightly to one side. This is easier to fix than it would be to true the wheel.

I gave my 1500 a long-overdue cleaning and lubed the chain, so I'm ready to ride today and over the weekend, if the opportunity presents itself. [ via LifeHacker ]

Technorati Tags: fitness gadgets, bike maintenance, Trek 1500.