When you’re on holiday, far from home and on unfamiliar territory, the last thing you want is for your bike to break down. That’s why we strongly recommend two things: put together a checklist to go over your bike’s vital signs before you go, and only use Shimano components, because that will guarantee continued optimal performance.
Think about what could happen – from the inconvenient to the dangerous – and make sure it doesn’t. Picture this: a descent with hairpin turns. Your eyes are on the speedometer. You’re about to break your best speed on a descent and your adrenaline is pumping. But as the next curve approaches, you realize you shouldn’t have taken your eyes off the road for even a second. You’ve underestimated the radius of the curve, and you’re forced to brake – and brake hard.
But you didn’t check the brake pads before you left. They’re worn, and though you didn’t notice that on the flats, you’re noticing it now, when you need them the most. That’s a potentially dangerous situation that could ruin your holiday and have repercussions far beyond it. So your health and well-being are the number one reason to check the vitals.
But there are many other reasons to run a checklist. You don’t want to end up with a flat in the burning sun in the middle of Andalusia because you forgot to check the tire pressure. Or find yourself walking up the Tourmalet, watching your pals vanish in the distance, because you thought you could handle it with a standard double. Or climbing down a rocky path with your mountain bike slung over your shoulder because your chain had too many kilometres in its legs. These situations could frankly ruin your day, or worse, your holiday.
So decide what your bike’s vitals are, put together that checklist, and run through it before going on holiday. Here are some of the key items we recommend checking:
• tires
• brake pads
• chains
• sprockets
• chainrings
• derailleur pulleys
• shift and brake cables
• bolt tightness
• lubrication
• shoe cleats
Every time you get on your bike, we want the handling to be effortless and comfortable. We want you to feel that you have the right components for any kind of adventure. So if you find something on your checklist that needs replacing, we highly recommend that you use Shimano Original Parts. Because at Shimano, we develop and design our components to be in perfect harmony. Take one away, and you may compromise the whole. At Shimano we call this ‘system engineering’.
It’s a fact of life that parts eventually wear. But it’s good to know that you’re safe with Shimano. Our products undergo rigorous testing in our state-of-the-art production facilities. The outcome is impeccable quality and reliability. So you can be 100% sure that your system will still perform to the original standard. If in doubt, don’t hesitate to have your bike fully serviced before leaving. Wear and tear left untouched is contagious: it leads to further mechanical problems.
So check your bike’s vital signs before you go on holiday, and only use Shimano Original Parts. Nothing less than harmony is at stake here.