Bike Maintenance

If you know, or if you don’t know what is bike maintenance, here I will explain to you everything.
But also I will answer the most asked questions which pop up in people’s heads when someone mentions bike maintenance.

Bike maintenance isn’t something you should be afraid of.

It might seem complicated, however, anyone with a little bit of knowledge could do bike maintenance and repairs.
And that’s what I will be teaching you guys on this website.

What Is Bike Maintenance?

For everyone who is wondering what is bike maintenance and what is the process of bike maintenance, I will explain it right now.

Bike maintenance is a process of checking a bicycle and making sure it’s in a good shape so it’s safe to use on a road, but also to be readily used in the most efficient way with no errors or troubles.

Have you ever felt like there is something which really annoys you when riding your bike?
Maybe your breaks are making a horrible sound when braking or your shifter just doesn’t want to listen to you?

Well, maybe your bike is ready to be checked and with a few easy repairs, your bike will most likely work like the first day.
However, even some brand new bikes out of the store need to be set up properly before the first ride.

Bike maintenance isn’t something wrong, and it shouldn’t be only done after the bike crash or a tire puncture.
It’s something which is worth investing time into because you will thank yourself after.

Why Is Bike Maintenance Important?

Bike maintenance is important in order to make sure your bike is safe and ready for a ride because nobody likes troubles and problems especially during a long ride or a commute to work right?

The same way people take care of their cars and motorcycles, people should care about bicycles.

It won’t only keep you safe but will allow you to enjoy your rides no matter how old is your bike and no matter what the issue is.
Because almost everything is fixable if you have a little bit of knowledge, tools and time.

When Is The Best Time For Bike Maintenance?

Usually, when people are preparing for a new season after a long winter, that’s the time when everyone’s checking their bikes and making sure they are ready for a ride anytime soon.

Because, as soon as the weather allows it, everyone’s going to jump on their bikes.
However, there are also cyclists who ride their bikes for the whole year, including the winter.

But that’s not the only time for bike maintenance.

It can be done anywhere, and anytime.
You don’t need to have a fancy garage or a bunch of tools, and you can do it anytime whenever you feel like doing it.

Instead of visiting a bike repair shop and paying them every single time you have a problem with your bike, or you need something to be done, why don’t you learn how to do it yourself?

It will save you a lot of time and a lot of money as well.

So let me wrap this up.
Bike maintenance can be done anytime.

Whether you face a problem with your bike or simply you just want to check on your bike and see if everything is alright.

I like to group them as bike maintenance for every ride, monthly maintenance, six months maintenance, and yearly maintenance.

Bike Maintenance Categories

As you have mentioned earlier, I have grouped maintenance checks into categories.

There is maintenance before a ride, monthly maintenance, six months maintenance, and yearly maintenance.

In order to maintain your bike, you will need to take care of it.
That’s the whole point of bike maintenance.

Everything you need to check before a ride

Before every ride, I suggest you check some simple stuff, just to make sure your bike is in great shape.
In that case, you will notice if something has happened to your bike since the last ride.

It’s considered small bike maintenance, which will prevent you from problems on your rides.

Check tire pressure

Check your tire pressure to make sure it isn’t low.
It’s possible that your tire gets deflated since the last ride.

In that way, simply check the pressure of your tire and fill it to the correct PSI written on the side of your tire, in case your tire feels “squishy”.

Checking tire pressure and filling it before a ride will make your bike tires roll easier.
You might feel the bumps on a road, but it’s will be easier to ride.

Take a look at the tires

Take a look at the tire and look out for any embedded debris.

Maybe you have run over some little piece of glass or wood which then gets stuck in your outer tire and further driving with it would most likely leave you with a flat tire.
It doesn’t happen often, but if you aren’t in a hurry I would advise you to do it.

It’s easier to prevent it than repair it.

Check the moving parts

Take a look at the bike parts which have a quick release, and make sure they are tight in the place and secured.

Quick-release parts most likely are wheels or seats where there is no nut or bolt.

Checking it won’t take you a lot of time, however, it will save you a lot of trouble if you notice any failure right at the time.

Squeeze your brakes

Squeeze your brakes and make sure they are properly working.

Take a look at the brakes and make sure they are right in the place, and when pressed that they are grabbing onto the wheel rim, not the tires.
You don’t want to start a bike ride with no brakes.

It could lead to disaster!

Take a look at the chain

Make sure your chain isn’t dry.

If the chain looks dry, make sure you add some chain lube on it.
But don’t go overboard, because you don’t want to get messy when riding.

Be prepared with the tools

If you are going on a ride, be ready and prepared for problems.
They can come at any time, even if you are thinking your bike is good and nothing won’t happen, they do still happen.

Always carry a small tool, a spare tube or a patch kit and a pump, in case you get a flat on your ride.

Nobody likes to get stuck in the middle of nowhere, or on your way to work with no solution left other than walking.
It will save you a lot of time and frustration.

What Is Involved In Bike Maintenance?

I have mentioned earlier things which are important to check before each ride for your own safety and in order to avoid problems.

But what else is there which is considered to be bike maintenance?

There are so many things that would be too much to explain in one single post.
I will simply list all the things which are part of bike maintenance, and then in every other post, I will explain them in the details.

Earlier I have talked about bike maintenance before each ride, however, I will list all other things which should be done during bike maintenance in a monthly, 6 months, and yearly maintenance.

Monthly maintenance

Monthly maintenance would be cleaning your bike frame and inspecting it, completely cleaning the chain & gear cassette, and then re-lubing it again, checking the wheels for loose spokes, testing the tightness of the moving and connecting parts with a wrench tool and check & lube the brake and gear cables.

It’s important to do it every month in order to maintain your bike safe and without any problems.
But also to make sure that the bike is in the best shape possible, which will reflect on its efficiency.

6 months maintenance

6 months maintenance would be inspecting and cleaning and waxing the frame, checking tires for wear and checking your spare kit, checking the condition of a hub, bracket, and headset, checking all cables and housings, checking and replacing worn brake pads if needed, checking for the chain, cassette cog, and chainring wear, cleaning the drivetrain.

There might seem too many things to check, however, it’s all necessary to keep the bike in shape after owning and riding it for a long time.
It might take you one afternoon, or maximum of two days if some worn parts need replacement, but it will really protect you and your bike.

Same as the cars, people take them for a service even if it’s running. But why? To make sure it’s safe and to make it run for long more time.

Yearly maintenance

Yearly maintenance would be checking and adjusting all bearing systems, brakes and gear cables, replacing brake pads, cleaning and checking wheels for signs of wear, check the hubs, bottom bracket, headset, overhaul the pedals and check the bearings and adding a fresh grease, maintaining and lubing suspension components, lubing a bike frame and a bike pump.

That are some of the most important things to check when doing yearly bike maintenance.

However, there are also aesthetic parts such as brake hoods or handlebar tape which could be replaced if necessary.

The importance of checking is to make sure to see which parts should be replaced and which shouldn’t.

What About The Bike Repairs?

Bike maintenance can be done by anyone who knows what to look out for.

But what about the bike repairs?

Bike repairs are kind of part of the bike maintenance since anything which is worn out or gets broken needs to get replaced after a check-up.
Bikes aren’t so complex as cars for example, and everything is much more simple to understand and to repair.

Anyone who was a will, some of the tools and right knowledge can do it.

But where to get the knowledge you may be wondering?
That’s what might discourage a lot of people, but also that they are afraid of a mistake.

Owning a bike, maybe some expensive bike doesn’t mean you can’t try and do some adjustments yourself.

There is not much to screw up, and wouldn’t you even want to try it before taking it to the bike repair shop?
I mean, you are probably planning to take your bike there, so why not trying to adjust it or repair it yourself first?

As I have mentioned earlier, it’s important to learn how bikes work and to get some knowledge.

But how to gain some knowledge and what’s the best way to learn?

Best Way To Learn How To Do Bike Maintenance And Bike Repairs

Bike maintenance and bike repairs aren’t something complicated.

In fact, they are very simple to learn and to do yourself.
But how to get the right knowledge and information?

The Internet is a very big place full of information to learn, and there are places such as my website to learn about bikes.
That’s the way I did it.

However, you might get overwhelmed quickly, and you might find tutorials that aren’t specific or are leaving you with a lot more questions.

That’s why I always introduce people to the ultimate masterclass full of courses to learn bike maintenance and bike repairs.

It’s one of the best bike maintenance and bike repair packages out there which could easily stop you from visiting your bike repair shop and take things into your own hands.

It has over 200+ step-by-step training videos by 3 expert teachers, 150 pages fully illustrated do-it-yourself manual, and it covers 3 different bike types (road, race and mountain bikes).

There are also bonuses, such as Bicycle TuneUp Book full of tips for bike maintenance, lifetime updates on the content, and 1-year one-on-one coaching with Dave, a guy who has made this awesome product.

==> Click here to learn more! <==

Conclusion

Bike maintenance and bike repairs aren’t very complicated and they can be learned very easily.

With some effort and investing your time, you could learn how bikes work and how to take care of them properly.

You won’t need to take your bike to the shop ever again, and you will be proud that you can repair your bike yourself.

It might seem too much of work or too many things to take care of, but it’s not how it seems like.
It probably seems like too much when it’s written, however, it shouldn’t scare you off.

Bike maintenance and repairs can be done in one afternoon, and they could save you the time you would spend to visit the bike shop and the time you would need to wait for your bike to be repaired or maintained.
Also, it will save you the money you would spend paying someone else to do something you could have done yourself.

Take a look around the site, I am sure you will find a lot of useful information, tutorials, and suggestions.

But also feel free to support me and this website by sharing on social media.

Have you had any experience with bike maintenance or bike repairs yourself before?

Let me know in the comments below!