Track maintenance
Limestone tracks built 75 to 100mm deep mostly need an occasional weed spray and some attention around the edges of the riding track. Pump and skills tracks need weeding too, and a limestone pump track might need a light top-up once a year.
Most schools fold this into regular property maintenance, handled by the caretaker. An annual working bee, or a call back to whoever built the track, works just as well. A levelling bar makes building and maintaining a limestone riding track much easier, and a power broom is great for tidying up the skills track.
Bike maintenance
Keep the fleet running with a simple routine: tyres pumped, chains oiled, brakes checked before every ride, nuts and bolts tightened regularly. Some schools train up a few student “bike monitors” to handle these checks day-to-day.
- Buy good-quality bikes
- Keep them out of the rain
- Store them securely every night
- Keep tyres pumped
- Oil chains regularly
- Check brakes before every ride
- Check nuts and bolts stay tight
- Get a bike mechanic to check the whole fleet at least once a year
For further reading: Bike Maintenance Schedule (PDF). For video walkthroughs, Auckland Transport’s Bike Maintenance 101 playlist is a good one to share with staff.
The Bike Shed Manual: detailed fleet maintenance guide
The Bike Shed Manual (PDF) goes into more detail on maintaining a school bike fleet.
Safety signage
A few “bike tips” signs around the tracks help reinforce safe riding. Examples from Palmerston North City Council and Wellington City Council: Sign 1 (PDF) · Sign 2 (PDF) · Sign 3 (PDF)
Check your helmet
For the quick two-finger fit check, see Helmets.
Check your bike: Air, Brakes, Chain
- A: Air. Are the tyres properly pumped up?
- B: Brakes. Do the front and back brakes both work?
- C: Chain. Is it oiled and moving freely?
More on checking your bike from BikeReady.