So ... What IS A Tune-Up Anyway?

Here is everything I know about tuning up a bicycle: You need to do it sometimes. And there's lube involved. The end.

So this weekend I went ahead and asked: What IS a tune-up anyway?

"A tune-up is the way I feel about you, except I do it to your bike," Aaron says while rubbing my leg. "It's a heart with a T and two wheels coming out of it." (See explanatory illustration, right.) So a tune-up is basically TLC for your bike, which jiggles around, loosens up, and loses its smooth-like-butter qualities when you burn rubber all over town. Or bounce it down a mountain and drag it through the dusty desert. Or leave it out on the back porch as a pack-rat habitat.

At Sultana Cycles, a tune-up includes lubing up your cables and housing and chain . . . and derailleur pivots . . . and limit screws . . . and anything else that can handle a little Pedro's GO! (our environmentally-friendly, biodegradable, canola-oil based lube -- for sale and available on request!). We will also make sure your hubs, derailleurs, cables, brakes, headset, and bottom bracket are installed correctly and adjusted to avoid any strange rubbings, squeakings, clackings, etc. A detailed inspection ensures all parts are secure and installed appropriately -- so you're not flung unexpectedly face-first into the pavement when your wheel falls off because the quick release is not installed properly. Tires are properly inflated. Chrome is polished. Bolts are tightened. The seat is faced forward again. You ride away happy. A heart with a T and two wheels on the side.

Tune-ups are like Valentine's Day -- maybe you only buy your bike fancy chocolates once a year, but you can still show it love year-round by practicing frequent chain lubrication and proper tire inflation. Tune-ups run about $60 plus parts, but you can get $10 off Aaron's hard labor if you mention this ad! Trust me, it's more fun to ride your bike when it works good.