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Love your bike ” tips for bike maintenance” Care for it and it will care for you! Like any machine, a bike will work better and last longer if you care for it properly. Get in the habit of checking your bike regularly. Simple checks and maintenance can help you have hassle-free riding and avoid repairs. If in doubt, leave it to the professionals. Bike mechanics, and some will even collect your bike from home and return it when all the work is done. |
On the other hand if you want do the bike maintenance yourself here is a list of basic tools you will need:
- A pump
- An old toothbrush
- Lubricants and grease
- cleaning rags
- a puncture repair kit
- tyre levers: Are small plastic tool that attach to the spokes of your wheel and help to ease the tyre away from your wheel rim. tyre levers are really helpful if you have a puncture.
- Allen keys and screwdrivers: An Allen key, also known as a hex or zeta key, is a tool used to drive screws and bolts that have a hexagonal socket in the head and are extremely handy for maintaining bicycles.
- spanners
Regular checks:
- Every week:
Check your tyres, brakes, lights, handlebars and seat are in good order and tightly secured. Any wheel quick releases must be in the closed position.
Do your light batteries need replacing or your tyres need more air? Are your brakes squeezing the rim of the wheel ( if they are touching the tyre that is not good) and are your handlebars and saddle secure?
- Every month:
Give your chain a really good wipe clean and lubricate with chain oil.
Wipe the dirt from your wheels.
Check the tread on your tyres, any bulges or bald spots mean that you need new tyres.
Check your brake pads are not touching the tyres, and check there is still life in the pads, if not change them.
Are your gears changing smoothly? if you are having problems with your gears, it is best to leave gear adjustments and repairs to a bike mechanic.
Check for damaged or frayed gear or brake cables.
- Every year:
It is worth taking your bike to an experienced mechanic once a year for a thorough service. All good bike shops will have a mechanic who can answer any questions you might have.
Fixing a puncture:
punctures do not happen often and are easy to fix yourself.
If you do not fancy repairing a puncture on your journey, carry a spare inner tube and a pump so you can change the tube, then fix the puncture when you get home.
If you do not mind repairing punstures when they happen, make sure you carry your repair kit and pump at all times. all puncture repair kits have full instructions with pictures.
Alternatively, if you do not want to get your hands dirty just take it to your local bike shop and they will fix it for you.
Tips:
- Carry a spare inner tube, a pump and some tyre levers with you so you do not have to repair a puncture immediately.
- A fully inflated tyre makes life so much easier and reduces punctures. Even a slightly under-inflated tyre will slow you down.
- Go easy with the oil! Be careful not to get any oil on the wheel rims or brake pads. If you do, just clean it off with some lubricant spray and a rag.