Maintenance & Repairs

Cleaning and maintaining your bike can be a tedious job, but an essential one nonetheless. A dirty and poorly functioning bike will spoil the fun of riding. It’s also costly as bike parts will break apart quicker and need replacement. Inevitably, something will break at some point. Having the skills to make some repairs yourself can save you out on the trails and a trip to the bike shop.

HOW TO WASH YOUR BIKE

Remember after that muddy ride you dumped your bike in the shed and forgot about it? We’ve all been guilty of it. But procrastination leads to frustration. Once the mud dries up it will be more difficult to clean and rust might even start forming on your bike. With just a water hose, bike cleaner, stiff brush and a dry rag your bike will shine again like it’s brand new. Here’s how you do it:

1: Use a hose to wash off most of the dirt from your bike. You can use high-pressure hoses (like the one you use for your car), but these can remove grease from any bearings, so try to avoid those. Don’t forget to remove the mud between the tyre treads and any dirt in spots you might easily forget, like underneath your saddle.

2: Use a cleaner and spray it all over your bike. A regular soap might cause damage to the disc brakes and the paint job, so instead purchase a bike specific cleaner at your local bike shop. Use a brush to remove any dirt that might still be stuck to the bike.

3: Leave the cleaner on for a few minutes to let it do its work, then hose it down again.

4: Make sure to properly dry the bike with a clean rag to prevent any rust from forming. Your drivetrain will need some separate care, so be sure to check out the next step.

CLEAN AND LUBE YOUR DRIVETRAIN

After every ride, especially when you’ve washed your bike, the drivetrain will need some special care. It is essential that it works smoothly and efficiently to give your maximum power conversion. A bit of rust or built up dirt can also cause your shifters to malfunction. In addition to that, a well maintained drivetrain will last you a longer time.

1: Start by applying a bike specific degreaser on your chain and cassette. You can remove the grease and filth manually with a small brush, toothbrush or sponge, but a specific chain cleaner is the best option. Avoid getting degreaser on your brake pads at all times as this can cause squeaky brakes.

2: After leaving the degreaser for a minute, use some water to rinse. Run the chain through a rag to check if you removed all the old black grease.

3: Lubing your drivetrain will prevent rusting and allow smooth shifting. However, lubing your (disc)brakes will severely reduce your brake power as the brake pads can no longer get a grip. If you’re applying lube with a spray can, use a rag or piece of cardboard to cover the brake disc and pads to protect them.

4: Find the masterlink of your chain (it’s visually distinct from the other links) and start applying the lube while you spin the pedals. Make sure to lube the side of the chain that touches the cassette. Go all the way around until you're back at the masterlink.

CHECK THE AIR PRESSURE

Tyres

As we explained before, your tyre pressure has a significant impact on your riding. Which is why you should check the tyre pressure with a tyre gauge before every ride. Your tyres will slowly lose air overtime so you might find that you have to top it up with a pump.

Suspension

Just like with your tyres, your suspension will lose air overtime (if you have air suspension). You should check the pressure of your suspension about every 3 months or after 25 to 35 hours of riding. Measure the sag as we discussed in the previous section and use a shock pump to measure and adjust pressure.

CHECK THE BEARINGS AND BOLTS

When riding over rocks, roots and descending down drops, your mountain bike will take a beating. Bearings and bolts can get shaken loose, which could be dangerous. Checking for anything that came loose during your ride is simple, but often overlooked.

Go over your entire bike and visually check for any loose bearings and bolts. It’s easy to do just before a ride or during a bike wash and will only take a few seconds. Use a torque wrench to apply the right torque setting recommended by the bike manufacturer. The “M-check” is a good way to make sure nothing is overlooked. Start inspecting the hub at your rear wheel, go up to the saddle, then down again at the pedal cranks, back up to the steering cockpit and finally down to the hub at the front wheel.

If you’re out on the trails, don’t forget to bring a multitool to make quick repairs and tighten anything that might have gotten loose. A multitool is also useful to make small adjustments, like the positions of your brakes on the bar.

HOW TO REMOVE A WHEEL

For various maintenance and repair jobs it might be necessary or convenient to remove a wheel. It’s a relatively simple process once you know it:

1: Depending on how your wheel’s axle is fixed, you might need an appropriate allen key or wrench to remove the axle. Some axles have a quick release mechanism, which means you don’t need any tools to remove it.

2: If you're planning on removing the rear wheel, shift to the smallest cog in the rear (and front if you have one). This will give the chain more slack and makes removing and reinstalling the wheel easier.

3: Now remove the axle with either the allen key, wrench or quick release. On the rear wheel you’ll have to get the derailleur and chain out of the way first. The way to do this depends on the derailleur manufacturer:

For SRAM: Move the lower pulley on the derailleur forward and use the button on the side to lock it in place.

For Shimano: Look for a lever on the derailleur. It should have an On or Off setting. Move the lever to the Off position.

For other derailleurs check the manufacturers manual, although most likely you’ll be able to pivot the derailleur back by hand.

3: If you have rim brakes you’re also going to have to disengage them by disconnecting the brake cable. (there are different methods, so check the manufacturers manual on how to do this correctly). You don’t have to disengage disc brakes, but you want to make sure not to pull the brake levers when you’ve removed the wheel. This will cause the brake pads to close and you’ll have a difficult time to separate them again. You can prevent this by putting a piece of cardboard between the brake pads.

4: When you’re ready to put the wheel back in you can insert the axle the same way in as you removed it. Here are some additional tips:

When using a quick release system, make sure not to point the lever forward once you’ve tightened it. If you do, the lever might get hit by objects on the trail, causing the axle to loosen.

For axles that need a wrench or allen key to tighten, check the torque settings required by the manufacturer and apply accordingly.

When inserting the rear wheel, make sure the chain is positioned on the cassette in the appropriate position (on the smallest cog). Also, don’t forget to put the derailleur back in its riding position after you’re done.

Give your wheels a shake to make sure they’re not loose and you’re ready to ride!

HOW TO FIX A FLAT TYRE

When you’re out and about bombing down those trails, you’re going to get a flat tyre at some point. It’s best to be prepared so you can continue the fun instead of having to walk all the way back. Always bring a pump, spare inner tube and some tyre levers with you when riding. That way you can easily fix a puncture by simply replacing the tube. At home you can take a closer look at your punctured tube and fix it. Here’s a step by step guide:

1: Start by removing the wheel that has a puncture from your bike.

2: Now separate the tyre from the wheel. You can use tyre levers to make things easy, but it’s also possible to do it by hand.

3: Remove the inner tube and check the inside of the tyre for any sharp objects that might have pierced it.

4: Now take the inner tube and inflate it. To find the puncture you can listen or feel for air leaking. Another way is by dipping the tube in a bucket with water and looking for bubbles.

5: Now use some sandpaper on the area around the puncture to smoothen the surface.

6: Apply the glue provided in your tyre repair kit and apply a patch.

7: Once the glue has dried out, inflate the tyre again and check if no air is escaping.

Great! You’ve fixed your inner tube! Now it’s time to place the tube back into the wheel.

1: Partially inflate the new/fixed inner tube (around 1 bar). Now insert it into the tyre.

2: Place the tube and tyre on the wheel. Make sure to insert the valve into the hole on the wheel and have the tyre face in the right direction. There is usually an arrow pictured on the tyre indicating the riding direction.

3: Use your hands to fit the tyre back into the wheel. The easiest way to do this is to start at the valving and use your hands to push the tyre in the wheel going both directions. The hardest part is at the end where your hands meet back up. You can use some soapy water to lubricate the tyre and make it a bit easier.

4: Check if the bead is completely seated and fully inflate the tyre. Check again if the tyre is seated properly.

5: Now reinstall the wheel and you’re ready to go!

HOW TO FIX NOISY BRAKES

One of the most annoying sounds to hear during a ride are those awful screeching brakes. They ruin the tranquillity of nature and give anyone within a 50 metre radius a jump scare. Time to find out why your brakes make those noises and how to fix it.

First off, noisy brakes are a common occurrence when riding in rain or otherwise wet conditions. When water or mud gets on your braking rotors, they tend to make some noise. So there’s nothing to worry about, just make sure you clean them afterwards.

If you don’t clean your bike after a muddy ride or spill some oil on your rotors or brake pads, they can get contaminated. Not only will this increase noise levels, but also decrease braking power. A quick fix is to use a bike cleaner (check to make sure it’s suitable for brakes) and give the brake rotors a proper wash. If it still doesn’t fix the noise or you use rim brakes instead, you’ll have to remove the brake pads from your bike and wash them separately.

When you take out your pads, check if they’re not glazed or worn out. Glazed pads usually occur towards the end of your ride when you’ve used your brakes a lot. Fortunately you can easily fix this by using some fine sandpaper and gently rub the pads until they’re no longer smooth.

Old braking pads that have been used a lot might be worn out. Check your pads to make sure they’re at least a few millimetres thick. If not, you will have to replace them with new ones. They’re fairly cheap and you can order them online or at your local bike shop.