Pump vs cartridges (tools, tools, oh my)

[ny biker]

For basic maintenance, you will need to clean and lube your chain regularly. I have a device that's made for cleaning the chain easily, like this:

http://www.rei.com/product/724952

There are several different brands available.

A brush like one of these is also handy:

http://www.rei.com/product/546216
http://www.rei.com/product/663792

Offhand I don't remember what chain lube I have, although I know it's a dry type (less messy but has to be reapplied more often). Someone at the bike shop should be able to advise you.

When you lube your chain, put a drop on each link. Turn the pedal for a minute to work it through the chain (you'll want to have the bike upside down or on a workstand for this). Let it sit for a while (some say 10 minutes, some wait overnight). Then get a rag and clean as much excess lube off your chain as possible -- hold the rag loosely around the chain while turning the pedal. This will help keep grease off your leg and will also help keep grit from sticking inside the links.

Also re: flat tires. If you ever get a big cut or hole in your tire while you're out riding, you can temporarily "patch" it with a dollar bill. Put the dollar between the tire and the tube and it will cover the hole. I once rode 10 miles this way after a cut in my tire had caused holes in 2 tubes in the middle of a ride. But the dollar stuck to the tire when I tried to take it out after I got home, so don't use a large denomination just in case it tears when you remove it.

[Catrin]

For basic maintenance, you will need to clean and lube your chain regularly. I have a device that's made for cleaning the chain easily... (you'll want to have the bike upside down or on a workstand for this).

Thanks for this great information, I hadn't yet thought about chain maintenance. I will need to consider logistics for this, I have a 1-bedroom apartment... I think that I am going to need to rearrange closet space for some of this

I've noted the several recommendations for the Road Morph pump and have added it to my list. I am still putting my list together, I don't actually pay for the bike, or get the accessories/tools until Friday, so I have some time to research this.

I feel like a kid in a candy store! Thankfully my spinning instructor is meeting me at the store to help me make sure that I get what I need without trying to buy the store out single-handed

[Crankin]

+1 on the Road Morph, although I no longer can use it. My bike now is too small and too rounded to hold a pump. I carry the cartridges and an adapter that my DH has adapted even more. I carry 2-3 cartridges, since we ordered a box of 50 from a supply store that is not a cycling place. They cost about fifty cents.
I didn't have any flats this year. Well, I did have one on my Jamis, where I do have the Road Morph. Too bad I can't get that little wire back into the V brakes when you take the wheel off/on. It effectively stops me from changing a flat on that bike. So I bought some heavy duty tires and I pray when I ride it.

[Pedal Wench]

I use a CO2/pump combo all-in-one. It lets me use the pump to shape up the tube before I put it in the tire, and also check to make sure the pump's on the valve, then let the CO2 go to pump it up.

[OakLeaf]

You can usually blow enough air into a Presta valve tube to get it into a tire. You just have to kind of bite the valve to hold it open as you blow.

IMO, one drop of chain lube per link is WAY WAY WAY too much. Different lubes behave differently, but most people apply way too much chain lube. Apply the lube to the inside surface (that is, the side that faces the cog teeth) and wipe not only to spread the lube evenly but to remove the excess. I think I usually use about 10 drops of Pedro's Go! for my whole chain. Maybe less.

And, while a work stand definitely comes in handy for some jobs, lubing the chain isn't one of them, unless you have a fixie. On a freewheel bike, you can distribute the lube just as easily by pedaling backwards.

[Catrin]

Is it possible to use the Road Morph pump for double-duty, (as a floor pump)? My cycling guy/spinning instructor who is advising me on all of this suggested that I ask the collective wisdom here. If I need to do so, then I will get a floor pump for my apartment, but it would be nice if I didn't need to get two of them right away.

[HillSlugger]

Is it possible to use the Road Morph pump for double-duty, (as a floor pump)? My cycling guy/spinning instructor who is advising me on all of this suggested that I ask the collective wisdom here. If I need to do so, then I will get a floor pump for my apartment, but it would be nice if I didn't need to get two of them right away.

The Road Morph can stand in for a floor pump.

[Catrin]

The Road Morph can stand in for a floor pump.

Cool! I've noted there is the Road Morph Mini and then the regular Road Morph. Thanks!

[aicabsolut]

I use a CO2/pump combo all-in-one. It lets me use the pump to shape up the tube before I put it in the tire, and also check to make sure the pump's on the valve, then let the CO2 go to pump it up.

me too