BIKE TIPS

This is where we teach you all the Tips and tricks that we know of.

These tips have been taken from experienced riders wugo go out bush and have fun. They are practicle, easy to do and should give you more riding time on the trails and reduce the amount of time you get with breakdowns and problems. As always go riding in a group and never by yourself. It dangerous riding solo plus there's no one around to help when you get problems.

 ULTRA HEAVY DUTY TUBES

Its a safe bet that somewhere along the way you will get a puncture. But you can reduce that possibility by using Ultra Heavy Duty Tubes, they feel about 4 times as thick as a standard tube, have extra rigidity and allow you to run a lower tyre pressure (15lbs or less) which is great for traction.

They are a pain to put in which is why its a good idea to let the bike shop install them and because they are much bigger you should carry along a normal tube as your spare. The bridgestone UHD tube is an excellent non synthetic rubber with a long life.

They will last up to 3 or more tyre changes before they need changing.

Like any tube, you will get punctures but the frequency of it happening will be much less.

On the occasion that you do get a flat and no-one has a replacement you can run with them flat due to their extra thickness. Of course its not recommended but if there is no real choice what have you got. I had a pucture in a front one once and had to ride the bike out, it was possible to run at speeds of 60km/hr and it took about an hour to do 30km back to the car.

If you really get stuck you can always stuff your tyre with small twigs and tree debris, no joke, it does work.

 RIMLOCKS Always use good quality ones.

For some reason a lot of motorcycle manufacturers use cheap quality rim locks which can (over a short period of time) lose their rubberised coating and cause punctures. One of the main purpose of rim lock is to ensure that the tyre does not slip on the rim, ie it locks the tyre to the rim. Rim Locks usually have a metal inner and a rubber coated outside.

One some of the cheaper ones the rubber gets peeled off leaving the metal inner which can have some sharp edges and cause punctures. (its happened to me at least twice. This happens because the tyre sometimes moves about due to acceleration and braking and slowly rotates arounf the rim, this motion can also turn the tube eventually rip off the valve stem from the inner tube.

So when you get your new bike check you rim locks, if need be replace them and ensure that the are securely set up and lock the rear tyre into place as they are designed to.

 Valve Stem

Dont tighten the valve stem up to the rim instead lock the valve nut against the valve cap which is in the opposite direction to the rim. This makes sure your cap doesn't come off but it also releases the pressure on the valve stem and allows it to move, this in turn reduces the likelyhood of the valve stem ripping of the tube.

Believe it or not valve stems getting ripped off the innner tube happens a lot, especially where the tyres are not sufficiently locked to the wheels. Also try to get metal valve caps that double up as a valve remover tool, always handy when suspect leaky valves are in queation.

 Gear Ratios, whats it all about

Do you know the correct gear ratios for your bike, put simply a gear ratio is the amount of times one gear must turn for one complete turn of another. Think of your front and read sprocket as gears that are connected by a chain. Low gear ratios allow you to accelerate quickly but have a low top speed whilst a high gear ration has a slower acceleration but a faster top speed.

Lets look at an example based on a speed of 100 KM hr for a gear ratio at a constant rev.

Higher gear ratios need more clutch, which is definitely a consideration when doing single track and uphill work. If your bike isn't geared correctly then its possible to burn your clutch out.

The stuff above is just an example but does highlight what gear ratios can do for your bike and its rideability. It gives you an indication of how your bike will perform with different size front and rear sprockets. Now you can go to your local dealer and argue gearing selections.