It must be a sign of the times. Used car dealer switches to selling used bikes. And he puts it right out front, along the sidewalk, relegating the BMWs to the rear. Or maybe it’s a reflection of the rising price of bikes. I dropped into a shop recently to look at a city-style upright, just a few speeds (my elderly six speed Cdn Tire commuter bike is down to one gear and goes knock-squeek in accompanyment to my pedalling). After noticing all the $750 price tags, I decided these bikes are bit too nice to park in front of Loblaws or park on my patio in all weathers… so its back to my muscial ride.
When we started acquiring more bikes after one each (we now have seven between the two of us), my husband learned about bike maintenance, got a stand, the tools, etc. and now I’ve added “bike mechanic” to his husbandly job description. While he does the work, I have learned by observation. Most of the time, it is a simple matter of making sure the chain gets oiled. I bet that would take the squeak out. As for the clonk, is your foot hitting something on a revolution? Sometimes, it can be the easiest adjustment and the bike runs like new again. The beauty of bikes (well, one of many) is that they are relatively easy to work on to keep running for years. The problem, is that getting someone else to do the maintenance isn’t really cost effective unless the mechanic is willing to work for very little (or free, in the case of my long-suffering husband). Consider getting one of Lennard Zinn’s books on bike maintenance – it has worked for us!