All your bike holliday needs in Morzine & Les Gets

There is almost nothing more annoying than having to deal with chain repairs in the middle of a bike trail. Technical difficulties while riding downhill trails automatically also becomes a safety hazard. One way of making sure you will not come across a broken or stuck chain while riding, is taking good day-to-day care of your bike‘s chain. Cleaning the chain after riding is a large part of keeping good maintenance of your bike‘s chain. Downhill trails such as those found in Morzine, are very muddy. After a downhill ride in any of the trails, the chain will probably be full of mud and debris. It is most important to clean your chain before your next ride, so your chain won‘t get stuck or break.

When cleaning the chain, also clean dirt and debris from the rear pulleys, rear cogs, and chain rings with a brush. Let the chain dry, then lube. Your choice of lube depends on your riding habits, time of year, and choice of trails. If you are between riding downhill trails in the Morzine area it is recommended to use Chain wax (such as White Lightning, far left, and Pedro‘s second left, a thicker wax) which is a "dry lubricant" that picks up very little dust and sand. Yet, it provides no protection from rust if you‘re not able to dry the chain after a wet or muddy ride.

New chains come pre-lubricated with a grease-type lubricant which has been installed at the factory. This is an excellent lubricant, and has been made to permeate all of the internal interstices in the chain. This factory lube is superior to any lube that you can apply after the fact. Some people make the bad mistake of deliberately removing this superior lubricant. Don‘t do this! The factory lubricant all by itself is usually good for several hundred miles of service if the bike is not ridden in wet or dusty conditions. It is best not to apply any sort of lube to a new chain until it is clearly needed, because any wet lube you can apply will dilute the factory lube.

See more information about biking in Morzine Portes du Soleil.