Yesterday evening I had my bike on the trainer and was starting to warm up. I felt and heard something rubbing near the back ring, and noticed the rear chain guide was not able to move far enough to the left to get the chain up into the first (granny) gear.

My bike (a Fuji Roubaix RC) is still fairly new. I bought it in October 2006 from Performance, and it's pretty normal for cables to stretch out over time.

I hopped off the bike and turned the cable adjuster knob a few turns counter clockwise, which allowed the shifter to travel left another quarter inch. This let me shift smoothly into granny gear and the rubbing went completely away.

Be sure to check your cables every couple months to make sure your shifting is still optimal, and lube up your chain and wheels while you're at it. Do NOT use WD-40 to lube your chain - keep that stuff away from your bike at all times. It will dry everything up and literally kill your bike.

Get some professional chain lube from your local bike shop and your ride will love you for it. I use and recommend Finish Line Teflon-Plus Dry Lube. It comes in a 4-oz squeeze bottle and I used about a third of the bottle for this lube job.

I also usually hose off my bike after every ride and wipe down the wheel rims to get rid of road grime – nature's sandpaper. This extends the life of my brake pads and improves braking performance.

Give your bike some repeated love and it'll return the favor for years to come!