Bicycles take a beating and keep on ticking
Dane Gibson
Northern News Services
NNSL (Jun 11/99) - Overlander Sports bicycle mechanic Kirk Magrum said the days of dripping a drop of oil onto the chain of your three-speed Schwinn then riding for a year are gone.
"Biking has come a long way. There's bikes with 27 speeds and high-tech suspension that requires a high level of maintenance," Magrum said.
"Riders are going longer distances and hitting speeds of 110 km/h in downhill events. That's why riders want their bikes really precise. It has become an extreme sport and they don't want their equipment failing on them."
Magrum knows when summer is upon us by the length of his waiting list. He manages to finish about three bikes a day, and has a week of work lined up.
"Mountain biking is picking up here. In the '90s, people are eating healthier and they want more exercise and that's reflecting positively on the bicycle market," Magrum said.
Around Yellowknife, he said Frame Lake Trail is a good, hard 45-minute ride. Ski trails are perfect for a more relaxed spin and extreme descents such as Pilot's Monument are popular with the more experienced riders.
"There are bikers who look for steep rocks for descending rides and fair-sized drops, up to four feet, to pedal off of," Magrum said.
"The bikes today have suspension designed to take the jars so the body doesn't have to, and people have to worry less about breaking frames and wheels because of the high level of engineering."
He holds up one of the treasures he's collected throughout his career at Overlander.
Magrum said a bike tune-up includes cleaning the rear gears, chain and front chain rings. He also sets up the shifting and brakes for optimum performance then goes over the bike for stress fractures and loose components.
"If you keep your bike well-maintained, you probably won't run across any problems -- if you do run across problems, that's why I'm here," Magrum said.
"Biking is a lot of fun and a great way to see nature. It's also a great way to relieve stress because if you get angry, you can take it out on your bike."
