Maintenance

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Duppie 13.5185km on February 12, 2010 at 12:18pm

I don't currently have a Dutch bike, but I grew up in the Netherlands so I have plenty of "flat" experience. If you have a full chaincase, you definitely want to avoid taking off the rear wheel.

So the true 'Dutch' way of repairing a Dutch bike is:
1. Turn the bike upside down
2. Use the bike levers to take the tire off on the non-drive side
3. Take out the tube. You may want to start at the valve
4. Once the tube is removed, the tire should still be on the rim.
5. Pull the tube out as far as possible by pulling it close around the hub
6. Inflate the tube and look for the leak. You may have to move the tube around
7. Patch the leak.
8. Put the tube back on the rim. Start with the valve
9. Install the tire
10. Voila!

While this sounds complex it is actually a lot quicker than taking the wheel off. And by patching the tube instead of replacing it, you save some money, which makes any Dutch heart proud.

I tried to look for an online video that shows this, but didn't find any,

Permalink Reply by Chris C on November 14, 2010 at 4:18pm

I carry the same repair items on my Dutch bike as I do on any other bike: spare tube, levers, patch kit, pump and a multi-tool. A flat is a flat.

As far as maintenance:
- I installed a removable chain link (aka Powerlink) to allow easier removal & cleaning.
- removed & reinstalled all nut/bolt combos with blue Locktite.
- removed the rear wheel to familiarize myself with how the rear brake, shifter, chain and rear wheel stays all tie together. Not required, just curious just in case.