Let’s Talk About The T in T-CLOCS! T= Tires, Wheels, and Brakes

You want to get in the habit of checking your tread depth. Most tires have

a built in “wear bar” at 1/32in, this is a solid bar of rubber across the

grooves in the tread. A quick way to check tread depth without a gauge is

to use a (US) penny. Stand ol’ Abe on his head in the tread.. If is hair is

covered you’re good, if not… its time to go shopping!

You also want to check for even wear across the tread. If the tread is worn mostly in the center and very little toward the edges your tire is probably over inflated. If the opposite is happening.. The tread is worn more on the edge and less in the center your tire

is probably underinflated and is causing “cupping” in the tread. Make sure there are no cracks or weather checking in the rubber.

Speaking about tire pressure.. you should check this before EVERY ride. Refer to your owners manual for proper inflation and check when the tires are cold. Get in the habit of looking at you tires before you get on your bike every time, not just before heading out in the morning. It’s better to notice that the tire is soft in a parking lot, where its safe, rather than going down the road. Also check for bulges and embedded object that are just waiting to make their presence known.

Next check the wheel itself, if you have spokes make sure they are not bent, broken, or missing, and that they have proper tension on them. This will affect your wheel alignment and tracking and could cause premature wearing of your wheel bearings if your rims are not trued. This should be checked whenever you have your routine service done. If you have solid wheels you want to look for cracks or dents in the casting. Your wheels should also have no play or wiggle between the forks or swing arm. When your wheels are spinning there should be no “growling” or “rubbing” type noises.

Both front AND rear brake each should be able to hold the bike from moving, when applied independently. This may seem insignificant until you get into an emergency braking situation, and you need them both! Do a visual check on both the brake pads and rotors. A good indication that your brake pads need a closer look can be seeing grooves or etching on your rotor, or hearing any kind of noise when applying the brakes. You should be able to see some of the “meat” of the brake pads. If not do a more in depth

check on them! Get used to knowing what a proper set up looks like, you don’t need to be a mechanic but you do need to be safe!