The function of handlebar tape (or wrap) may be somewhat obvious. It provides a more reliable grip on the handlebars, increases comfort, and absorbs shock from the road.

If your handlebar tape is torn or excessively worn, it is probably time to change it out. Some cyclists simply change the wrap when it becomes unsightly. This procedure is relatively easy, but it may take a few attempts to get an even and aesthetically pleasing result.

If your cable housing is stiff, shows signs of damage, such as a kink, or is getting old, it may be a good idea to install replacements. Working on cable housings is not particularly difficult but does require the proper tools.

- Cable Cutters
- Wire Snips
- Awl or Similar Pointed Tool

The easiest way to differentiate between a caliper brake and its counterpart, the cantilever brake, is to look where the brake is attached to the frame of your bicycle. If the brake is attached at two points, you have a cantilever brake. If the brake is attached by a single, centered bolt, you have a caliper brake. This article will discuss adjustments of the caliper brake.

Lift your wheel off the ground and give it a spin. If the wheel wobbles back and forth or up and down, it’s time to true it. Wheels come out of true through regular use. The rim is held at the correct angle to the hub by the pull of the spokes in equal directions. Hopping curbs, hitting rocks and the general punishment a bicycle endures is enough to knock a wheel out of true.

The easiest way to differentiate between a cantilever brake and its counterpart, the caliper brake, is to look where the brake is attached to the frame or fork of your bicycle. If the brake is attached by a single, centered bolt, you have a caliper brake. If the brake is attached at two points, you have a cantilever brake. This article will discuss adjustments of the cantilever brake.

Before the advent of plastic-lined cables, it was necessary to regularly use heavy oil or grease to lubricate the cables inside brake and derailleur cable housings. Thanks to plastic-lined cables, this procedure is largely obsolete. There are however a few points on the modern bicycle that can use an occasional oiling. The small section of cable near the rear derailleur and the sharp bends in cantilever brakes are two points on the bicycle that merit some attention to lubrication.