I landed safely after a hectic week as a Mechanic in the Tour of Denmark at the Team Concordia - Vesthimmerland Pro Cycling.

I have to honestly say that I was completely tired after the tour which was much harder than expected. I will not go into details, but can tell that we were two mechanics who had to get 16 bicycles, 100% ready to race, because riders had 8 racing bicycles and 8 bicycles in reserve. In addition to this, each rider had a Time Trial Bike. The Team uses Tubulars and caused more time to fix a puncture. We worked  some late hours, but it was all done just a little easier with a cold sixpack standing within reach! hehe

Here are a few tips on how we did the whole process a little easier:





















Finish Line produces really good products at reasonable prices when you need to clean and fix your bike. It was almost all pro team's mechanics who use products from Finis Line, and I must say that I myself was more than usually pleased with the products. They just make my job a bit easier!

Bike Rack:

Should you avoid a back pain due to unpleasent working positions a Bike Rack is a good investment. You can get the bicycle up in the height you want and make it much easier to adjust your gears, brakes and general cleaning.

Wash:

The "Super Bike Wash" is a super product which can be sprayed on the bike and bike parts in small and presice doses. It is also good to clean your handlebar tape so it is not dirty. Always use the same sponge to your handlebar tapes and do not use it for other perpuses. A bucket with car shampoo is also good for overall cleaning and wash the bike with clean water with a hose afterwards.

Chain and Chainrings:

Do not remove the chain to lay in petroleum, it takes too long and is not necessary with the good products that are available on the market today.

To clean the chain and jockey wheels i prefer eg. "Multi Degreaser" in a small cup and then start to clean with a brush on both the jockey wheels, front- and rear derailleur adn the Chainrings ahead.

The picture above you can see a chain cleaner that you fill with eg. "Multi Degreaser" or "Citrus Degreaser" and then mount it on the chain on your bike. Turn the pedal arms backwards so that the chain is purified in the little box. Very smart box indeed.

Remember to lubricate the chain well with "Ceramic Wax Lube" as virtually all pro team mechanics make use of for both rain, sund, road- and mtb bikes!

Casette:

Here I got an eye-opener during the Tour of Denmark. The product called "Speed Degreaser" is simply brilliant. I stood with several rear wheels that where the casette was filled with oil, oil lumps, dirt and rubbish. If you spray with "Speed Degreaser" a few times while rotating the casette it will all be 100 % clean in LESS THAN 20 SECONDS! It is also good to clean the jockey wheels. Remember to give lots of new lubricant with the "Ceramic Wax Lube" to all moving parts becasue the "Speed Degreaser" cleans the bikeparts completely from dirt, oil and water.