Mporous, the chain is worn, and the brake pads are worn out too – when Michael Warkaczewski, workshop manager at Fahrrad Böttgen, in Frankfurt-Bornheim, after the first analysis in the bicycle reception, rolls down the list of defects, many a customer is stunned. Especially when he finds out how much the repair is supposed to cost. Two hundred euros and more quickly accumulate on the to-do list.
But cycling doesn’t come for free. Frequent cyclists who regularly bring their bikes to be inspected know which drive parts suffer. Unlike a car, they are exposed to wind and weather. In the city there is also the fact that the bikes are usually left unprotected in the open air in frost and rain because there are no cellars for them or they are difficult to reach. A tarp as a cover can provide protection. However, Warkaczewski warns of the moisture forming underneath. “It can also have the opposite effect if you don’t take it down in time,” says the expert.