It’s important to wipe down your bike and bike accessories every other week during the summer and every week during the wet season. Run a moist rag along the frame, removing particles and dirt, and do the same to the chain after you’ve added some lube to it. The chain is the heart of your bike, and a dirty heart means a heart attack. It’s also a good idea to take a flat head screwdriver and hold it against the sprockets of the derailleur while turning the crank. The screwdriver will gather the muck and dirt that gets caught in your sprockets, which affect your ride.

You will notice the difference when you ride a clean bike. It puts the fun back into riding. You don’t have to pump quite as hard and when you coast down the hill, you really coast.

It’s also important to keep your tires hard. During the summer, tires tend to lose air more quickly thanks to the heat, so try giving them a squeeze to see if they could use a pump. That will also make your ride smoother and faster.

As far as self maintenance without any serious bike supplies, that’s all you need to know. To get into brake-tightening and more sophisticated bike maintenance, you need some bike accessories.

Biking with headphones can be very motivational, especially when you hit a big hill and you’re listening to Guns ‘N’ Roses’ “Night Train.” But if you do a lot of inner city biking, it’s dangerous to listen to music, especially loudly. Now I know you kids are going to do what you want regardless of what I say, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take heed. No running red lights, unless you want to get hit.

Now, that word of caution said, it’s important that if you’re going to listen to music you keep your iPod in a safe place like your bike supplies bag, so that if you fall off your bike, goodness forbid, you don’t destroy it also. Keep the headphone wires out of your way, and if you’re going to change the song and you don’t have the headphones that allow you to do so, stop, dismount and figure out what you’re going to listen to. Adjusting your iPod while biking is almost as bad as answering the phone while riding.

You can always wear those bike accessories that sit on your forearm too.

Play music that will energize you and allow you to do your best and pedal your fastest, especially when training, but above all, be safe!

When you get a flat tire, you may find yourself swearing and stomping your feet. Don’t. These things happen – they are the product of life’s roller coaster ride. You may be cruising along having a great day when you hear that whining hiss and tell yourself that your day is ruined. But actually, fixing a flat with your bike supplies is a beautiful thing. It allows you to become closer to your bike, to learn how to treat and care for it, and ultimately, to keep it in great shape.

I prefer to use the handle of a butter knife rather than a plastic pryer to remove the wheel from the rim. Plastic can break and isn’t as hardy. If you’re patching your tire, take your time, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth and pretty soon you will have vulcanized that wheel. The key is to have all of your bike supplies on hand. Even if you don’t have a pump you can walk to the nearest gas station, which may be far, but remember that you are able to walk – you are alive! – and you will feel a little better. Keeping all of the other bike accessories on hand, in a pouch or bag, is a good idea.

Bike maintenance is like practicing zen. So whenever you need to fix your bike, breathe easy and enjoy it.