If you have a busy life full of work and family commitments, it’s likely that you barely find time to ride, let alone spend hours working on your bike in the garage. Nevertheless, it is extremely important to stay on top of all bike maintenance chores to be certain that your favorite ride will be ready to ride next time you have a few hours free to hit the open roads. We have a few easy tips for maintaining your bicycle to keep it in working order without costing a lot of time or money.
Bike Maintenance Essentials
The first thing you will need to make sure you have to keep your bike working well is the right tools for the jobs. You won’t need too many tools, but it always pays to buy quality bike tools; this is not the place to save money by buying inferior quality. You will either just need to purchase the same tool again later after it fails on you, or in a worst-case scenario, you might even damage your bike if the tools you use are incorrect for the job, or simply rubbish.
Required tools
Some tools you will need for your home maintenance, and some you will need to carry with you in case you have an on-the-bike mechanical. It is very important that you are confident enough to repair things like flats and braking issues while on a ride, especially if you are usually riding alone or in the countryside where there will be fewer places to look for help.
In the saddle bag
When we head out on a ride, no matter how long or short, we always have in our saddle bag:
- Multi-tool
- Mini pump
- CO2 cartridges
- Tire levers
- Spare inner tube(s)
- Puncture repair kit
- Small bottle of tire sealant
The multi-tool should have a selection of the three or four most common Allen key sizes as well as a flat and Phillips head screwdriver. We’ve found both screwdriver heads extremely useful for those times you need to tighten cleat screws that sometimes come with one or the other of the screwdriver heads. The Allen keys can be used to tighten everything from a loose headset bolt to a rattly water bottle cage bolt.
Carrying both a mini pump and a CO2 cartridge might seem rather like you are wearing both a belt and suspenders, but trust us, you will need both in the course of a summer’s riding. The mini pump is obvious, but we have had occasions when the tire proved difficult-to-impossible to pump enough with just a tiny pump, and needed to resort to the CO2 cartridge. The cartridge admittedly is a last resort since they are not as environmentally friendly as one would wish (be sure to take the empty cartridge home and recycle it properly), but when the late afternoon storm is on your heels, getting your tire pumped fast could be the difference between getting soaked and making it home in the dry.
Tire levers and the spare inner tube (take two if you plan on going for a long ride or live someplace where the roads are particularly poorly maintained) are essential for fixing a flat, if you are riding clincher wheels. If you are riding on tubeless tires, you will want to carry some tire plugs as well to plug flats quickly. Keep that extra inner tube with you as well since you will be able to put it in your tubeless tires in case of bad punctures.
The small bottle of sealant will also help if you ride tubeless tires. If you do ride with sealant in your tires (it works well with tubular tires as well), be certain to take a valve wrench and a few fresh valve cores. Remove the valve on the flat tire with the valve wrench before squirting in the sealant. And if the valve core is already too gooey from previous sealant injections, replace it with a fresh valve core.
Being self-sufficient on the road is essential for long, happy rides. Sure, your mom or significant other might be willing to drive out to rescue you once in a while, but no one will be happy if you make a habit of being helpless.
At home
Even the most reluctant home mechanic should have these tools ready to fix essential issues on their bikes:
- Floor pump
- Set of Allen keys
- Torque wrench
- Chain breaker tool
- Chain checker
- Shock pump for mountain bikes
- Clean, soft towels and a soft sponge
And if you are excited about working more on your bike, then investing in a quality bike stand will save you lots of hassle trying to work on a bike while it is leaning against a wall.
Nine essential bike maintenance practices
There are obviously more than nine things you can and should do for your bike to keep in working order. This is just our list of the essential things everyone can do for themselves at home. For bike tune ups beyond this list, you’d be well within your rights simply to take it to your local bike shop and have their expert mechanics take care of those things for you. Or if you’d like to be in complete control of your bike’s up-keep, then we’d suggest you take a course in bike maintenance. Many local shops offer classes, of which we’d encourage you to take advantage.
Otherwise, keeping up with the maintenance tips on this list should keep your bike happily running year-round.
Check your tire pressure
Before every ride, be certain to check that your tires have the right amount of pressure. Not too much or too little. If you are uncertain how much pressure your tires need, check the sidewall of the tires where the recommended pressure will be given. This is particularly important if you are running tubeless tires.
To check the pressure, just pressing the tire with your thumb is not sufficient. Attach your floor pump valve to the tire valve and see what the pressure gauge reads. Add or remove air as required.
Learn how to fix a puncture
We touched on this a little above, but being able to fix a tire while on a ride is hugely important to your self-sufficiency. Being able to change an inner tube when using clincher tires is the most likely way you’ll need to fix a tire. If you get more than one flat on a ride, and you brought only one extra inner tube, then you’ll want to be certain you know how to use that patch kit in your saddle bag.
For tubeless tires, making sure your tire sealant is still viscous and active in the tire will be necessary. Different sealant manufacturers might give slightly varying instructions, but we always think it is important to renew the sealant in your tires at least once every six months. More often if you have suffered punctures that the sealant has sealed. Don’t forget to take tire plugs if you are on tubeless tires. They can save time and that walk home.
Keep your frame clean
After every ride it’s a good idea to take a soft, slightly damp cloth and wipe down the frame and handlebars. This is especially true if you encountered any wet patches or rain on the ride. But even if the day was dry, you have likely dribbled some of your sticky energy drink and dropped some sweat onto the frame, both of which can have a very corrosive effect on the paint job.
And if you have taken your bike out for a ride in a proper rainstorm, then be certain to be very thorough when wiping the frame down, making sure to get in the tight corners around the bottom bracket and the chainstays where grit and grime can really build up. Be certain to clean the drivetrain as well (more below).
Clean and lube drivetrain
Keeping your drivetrain clean might be the single most important chore that you can do to extend the lifetime of your components. It will also have a huge impact on the overall performance of your bike and its components. You can read our blog How to Clean a Bike Chain to learn in more detail what tools you’ll need and what steps to take. Keep in mind, the chain is not the only thing that needs to be cleaned. The rear derailleur pulleys and the cassette will also benefit from regular degreasing and re-greasing.
If you are wondering how often you should clean your drivetrain, we’d suggest that if you are riding in dry conditions, giving it a quick wipe down with a clean cloth and a little degreaser once a week should be sufficient between bigger cleaning sessions. It all depends on how often you are riding and in what conditions.
Be aware that if you start to hear your chain either squeaking or grinding, you have waited too long to give it a thorough cleaning. Be certain to give it a good clean the night before your next ride. Never clean it and then go out immediately for a ride. The fresh grease will not have had time to soak in, so you’ll likely get your nice white socks and shoes all splattered with greasy dots.
Check for chain wear
Use your chain checker to measure the amount the chain has been over-stretched through use. Check out our blog about How to Replace a Bike Chain to learn when and how to change-out a worn-out bike chain.
Check that screws and bolts are tight, and the wheel quick release is secure
Before every ride, you should include a quick check of bolts and screws to make certain they are all tight. Primary among these should be the head set bolt. Before setting off. Squeeze the brakes and put forward pressure on the front end to make sure you don’t feel any wiggle or looseness on the front end. And double check that the brake pads are securely bolted to the calipers.
Equally important if you are riding a rim brake bike with a quick release hub, check before every ride to make certain the quick release is secure and properly closed. Modern disc brake bikes with the through axles are less likely to have an issue with this area coming loose, but it never hurts to check to make sure everything is still nice and tight, especially if you have been riding in very rough terrain.
Learn how to adjust your brakes
Learning how to adjust your brakes is a skill that you should cultivate because it could save you a lot of fatigue if you find yourself in the middle of a long ride with a rubbing brake. For rim brakes it can be easier to adjust them since all the mechanics are easily accessible. When you notice the brakes are rubbing because the calipers are out of alignment, then you can take a monkey wrench and micro-adjust the bolt that connects the caliper to the frame.
If it is a case of the brakes being too tightly adjusted, in other words, the caliper arms do not allow enough distance between them to give the rim room, then you can turn the barrel adjuster clockwise to move the pads out from the rim, and counterclockwise to move them closer.
For disc brake bikes, the maintenance can be a bit more complicated. Unless you are a very keen self-mechanic, you might prefer to take your bike to your LBS to have the brake bled. Generally, if you are riding your disc brake bike regularly, we’d suggest bleeding the brakes about once a year.
Brake rubbing will likely be a more frequent issue and there are a few ways a home mechanic can try to fix that very irritating problem. The first thing to check is whether your wheel has not been properly lined up when put on the bike. Undo the quick release and make sure the wheel is sitting straight in the dropouts.
If the wheel is properly aligned but the brakes still rub once you retighten the quick release, then you’ll want to grab your Allen keys. Choose the one that will fit the bolts on the brake caliper. Loosen them slightly, but not enough to take the caliper off entirely. Firmly squeeze the brake lever that works that caliper. Continue squeezing the brake lever while retightening the caliper bolts. Hopefully that has reset the brake pads, so they are no longer rubbing.
You may need to repeat this process a couple of times before the disc brakes settle properly.
Learn how to adjust gears and shifting
Being able to adjust your gears on your own will easily cut in half the number of service trips you need to make to the bike shop. It’s a fiddly job, but when you do it well, every smooth shift feels extremely rewarding.
You’ll know you need to adjust your gears when they start mis-shifting, perhaps refusing to shift up smoothly or jumping down too many cogs at one time. If that is the case, then you’ll want to index your gears properly to ensure they are moving from one cog to the next. Use the barrel adjuster on the rear derailleur to micro adjust the cable tension which controls how much each lever shift moves the derailleur when changing gears.
If you are having trouble with the front chainrings shifting properly, then you will need to adjust the cable retention bolt either to tighten or slacken the front shift cable.
We’ll cover this fairly complicated process in further detail in a future blog, so stay tuned.
Suspension Maintenance (for mountain bikes)
For anyone riding a mountain bike with suspension, check out our blog on How to Set Up and Calculate Suspension Sag.
Once you have your suspension properly set for your riding style and weight, you should keep in mind that regular cleaning and lubricating will keep both your front and rear suspension working smoothly for longer. Mountain bikes in particular should be cleaned after each ride. Keeping the frame and components free of dust, mud and trail muck is essential to continued good performance of all parts.
Suspension forks should be well lubricated. Apply the lubrication to the inside of the fork while making sure all seals are effective at preventing dirt and contaminants outside the interior of the fork. Apply suspension-specific lubricants to the seals to reduce stiction (static and friction).
Conclusion – Keep it clean, lubed, bolted, and screwed
Regularly doing basic bike maintenance is the best way to keep your bike in perfect working order for many years. Cleaning it, keeping important parts well lubricated, clearing away muck and grime, and making sure all bolts, screws and skewers are properly tightened will keep your bike working well and you safe on the road.
