WINDSOR — Under a pop-up tent on the lawn outside Windsor Public Library Saturday morning, three bicyclists huddled together to get a closer look as Todd Chewning demonstrated how to check if a bike’s chains are wearing out using a tool called a chain-wear indicator.

“So what we’re gonna do is put this tool in here,” said Chewning, who runs the Upper Valley-based Cowbell Mobile Bike Shop. “And then if the tool sits flat on the chain, that means it’s worn out to that distance (and) then if it doesn’t fit, it’s good to go.”

Chewning explained the two measurements the tool uses: 0.5% wear and 0.75% wear. If the bike’s chain allows the tool to sit flat on it on the 0.5% side but not the 0.75%, then only the chain needs replacing, but if both sides can sit in it, that means the gears are wearing down, too.

The bicycle Chewning used as a demonstration belonged to one of the participants, Natalie Frost, of Windsor. As the group watched on, Chewning fit both sides of the tool into her bike’s chain fairly easily.

“So Natalie needs to replace that chain then?” another participant, Rebecca Roisman, asked. Chewning confirmed that she did.

The bike-safety workshop, hosted by the library, started at 10 a.m. and finished roughly an hour and a half later as the three attendees peppered Chewning with questions and he performed some rudimentary maintenance on their bikes. Its main theme was, essentially, what to notice about your bike before it becomes a big problem.

Things like the aforementioned chain care, how to avoid wearing down the brakes, and how to avoid flat tires were all explained and shown by Chewning, who also demonstrated how to clean out excess dirt and grime on a bicycle’s chain using a drill bit. He noted that, on average, a normal road bike’s chains will last about 1,000 miles before needing to be replaced.

Chewning, who’s originally from Maryland, said he fell in love with bikes as a kid after attending a professional race in Baltimore.

“Seeing the colors, the speed they were going and the looks of suffering on the (racers’) faces, I was just hooked after that,” Chewning said.

He said he used to race in events himself and that his garage is festooned with decals from previous races. A “Chewning 49” decal hangs on the interior of the van he uses to make house calls for his appointments.

He started the bike shop about seven years ago after working in repair shops for more than 20 years. The most common maintenance he does? Changing brake pads and refilling the air pressure in tires.

Before she could depart, Roisman asked Chewning to help her refill the air pressure in her bike’s tires. Roisman, who lives in Windsor, said she’d heard about the event from Windsor librarian Barbara Ball, whom she commended for “always having her finger on the pulse for what the community needs” with events such as the bike workshop.

Roisman said attending the workshop revealed to her the importance of regularly maintaining her bike, which she said she likes to use to ride all around Windsor.

“Now that I know this, I want it to be taken care of,” Roisman said. “I want to be safe on the road.”

After Chewning filled up her tires, Roisman gave her thanks, jumped on her bike, hopped over the curb, and departed up State Street.

Ray Couture can be reached with questions at 1994rbc@gmail.com.

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