Bike Maintenance Tips
We know that maintaining your bike at home isn't the most glamorous topic, but a little bit of care at home goes a long way towards increasing your comfort on your bike and the longevity of your bike components. The small time investment required to take care of basic bike maintenance at home is well worth the improved performance, increased safety, and the potential to increase the lifespan of your chain, drivetrain, rims, and tires.
Read on to discover our bike maintenance tips - and be sure to check out the video explainers!
Quick Checks before you ride
Best practice is to check the ABCs on your bike before every ride, but even just doing these checks fairly regularly (once a week) is better than not doing them at all. The ABCs you should check as often as possible are:
Air
Most of our team advocate for checking your tire pressure before every ride. It makes sense - riding with the right tire pressure ensures you're rolling efficiently and reduces the risk of getting a flat. And it takes no time at all if you have a floor pump.
If not before every ride, check at least once every two weeks - even if you haven't ridden in between.
Brakes
It's best to check that your brakes are working well before you need them. Grab your front and rear brakes and roll your bike forward before you jump on. Once you've confirmed they're engaging, jump on and ride with confidence.
You also need to service your brakes or replace your pads routinely. It can be required as often as twice per season if you're riding two or more times weekly.
Chain
Regularly lubing your chain makes changing gears smooth and comfortable. Our team recommends lubing your chain as often as once a week if you're logging lots of kms.
If you hear a sound similar to birds chirping coming from your drive train, you've waited too long.