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How to Maintain Your Bike
Which type of bike rider are you?
Maybe you’re a casual cyclist who
enjoys group rides when the weather is nice out. Perhaps your daily commute to
work is leg and pedal-powered. Maybe your adventurous side takes you to steep
and mountainous trails. Or you might be the road racer, hitting new speed
benchmarks on your bike while pushing the limits.
No matter which type
of rider category you fall into, caring for your bike can be the difference
between a bumpy trip and smooth travels.
Yet, taking the time to clean
and lube your bike doesn’t have to be a dreaded item on your to-do list! In
fact, keeping your bike in tip-top shape can be simple once you commit to
certain bicycle
maintenance practices.
Below, we have listed some of the best
bike maintenance tips so that weekend riders, daily commuters, adventure
seekers, daily road cyclists and all those in between can enjoy the
ride.
5 Simple Bike Maintenance Tips for All Riders
· Inspect Daily
Before you put foot to pedal and tires to road, inspect the tires thoroughly and make sure they are up to the challenge. Tires with improper tire pressure can increase your chance of fixing a flat tire on your trip, decrease speed, or keep you stuck in place all together. Prior to riding, make sure that you inflate your bike’s tires to the recommended pressure (usually listed on the side of the tire itself).
· Clean Your Bike Often
Although a dirty bike may seem minor, it can lead to major obstacles down the
road. Dirt and grease buildup on your bike speed up wear and tear on your bike’s
mechanics and can cause certain parts to function unsafely and improperly. With
a bucket of water, a spray-and wipe bike wash , a clean rag and an old toothbrush, you can
prevent small, sticky situations from turning into bigger problems down the line
or becoming aware of loose, worn, or broken parts.
· Lube Your Chain
A well-lubricated bike chain can mean the difference between enjoying the sounds
of the great outdoors and gritting one’s teeth through the rattling, squeaky
noise of an improperly functioning drive train. Avoid annoying squeaks by
keeping bike chains clean and properly lubricated with an easy-to-use chain lubricant applied with a firm brush. Remember
every time you re-lubricate the links, wipe off any excess lube with a clean,
dry rag to help prevent dirt buildup so you stay ready to roll!
· Brake Test
Speaking of being ready to go, make sure that when you are ready to stop, that
you can – in fact – stop. Checking your brakes before leaving home and in a safe
place is important. Watch out for worn, dirty or damaged brakes, brake pads and
pedals. Replace them when needed to ensure that you can go wherever you want and
come to an immediate stop whenever needed.
Here are some helpful
bike brake tips to keep in mind:
- Align brake levers so that they match the angle of your arms when you’re riding.
- For disc brakes, check the position of your brake assemblies, visually inspect both the front and rear calipers and make sure the rotors are centered between the brake pads. Each brake pad should fully make contact with the rotor when the brake is engaged.
- For V-brakes, check the position of your brake assemblies by looking from side to side to make sure the pad is in line with the rim’s brake surface, and not touching the tire or hanging off the bottom of the rim.
· Tighten Up
Your bike is composed of multiple components screwed, molded, fastened, and
bolted together. Before your next adventure, grab a tool kit and make sure the nuts and bolts on your ride
are properly tightened. Screws that are too loose or too tight can both prove to
be minutely or majorly problematic! However, a solid check and proper tightening
are crucial for your bike’s maintenance to help improve your ride
safety.
- For cranks, stems, and chainrings, tighten your bolts in an “X pattern” to ensure that there is a uniform distribution of load across the part’s surface.
- Once all bolts are semi-tight, follow the same “X pattern” as before and through each one and tighten the bolts to their final torque specs.
- All disc brake rotors have a 6-bolt pattern. After tightening all 6 bolts by hand, start at the top-dead-center and tighten your bolt. From there, you’ll want to go straight down, upper right, lower left, lower right, and finally upper left. Repeat the same process and tighten each bolt to the manufacturer’s recommended torque spec.
Riding your bike should be the best part of your day whether heading off to
work, enjoying the weekend, cruising the trail, or breaking new speed records.
However, properly maintaining your bike keeps the fun going by helping to
improve safety while increasing the bicycle’s lifespan.
Regular
inspections, cleaning, lube applications, brake tests, and bolt tightening are
key for all cyclists to keep each bike ride enjoyable and worry-free for
themselves and their little riders. too.
