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Old 10-01-13, 10:34 AM
  #20  
antimonysarah
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Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Medford, MA
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Bikes: Nishiki Bel-Air, Brompton P6L, Seven Resolute SLX, Co-motion Divide, Xtracycle RFA

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Originally Posted by Ciwan
Thanks fietsbob. I think I'll go for this with its accompanying magnetic bowl and rack.

Another question, I'm so terrible with bike maintenance that I have no clue when it comes to correct terminology for the bike parts.

I hear people talking about the "Drive Train" on a Bike! Can someone tell me what that is please, and perhaps point it out on a Bromy picture please, that would be very helpful. I typed Bromtpon Drive Train in Google Images and got no clear result :/
"Drive train" just means chain + gears + derailleurs on any bike. After two years of hard use, your chain probably is worn -- I just took mine in and I'd evidently waited a little long to replace mine -- I hadn't realized how much more mileage I'd been putting on it than my old bike. The more often you replace it, the less likely you will need to replace the gears along with the chain. However, bike shops also like to convince you you need to replace everything when you can probably get away with a new chain.

I wipe my bike down with an OLD towel (a threadbare ex-kitchen hand towel) if it gets wet, and wipe the chain off with a disposable paper towel/napkin while dribbling a little new oil on. If it doesn't get wet for a few weeks, I do the oiling/wiping thing on a dry day. I have a few little tiny pinpricks of rust on some of the bolts, but they're still A-OK. I also dab clear nail polish on any paint chips. And once a year I pay a shop to check everything for me. I don't do a huge amount of bike maintenance, because I have very weak hands, very little space for a work area, and very little patience with it. I do realize this means my annual tune-up will cost a bit more, because I'm more likely to have to replace things that could have lasted longer with more tender handling. I'm OK with that.
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