WELCOME TO WOESRAND MTB

…. woeslekker ….

Bike Maintenance Tips

Mountain Bikes need a lot of TLC and ongoing, preventative maintenance. Terrain, water, mud, dust & dirt as well as the time and distances spent on the bike are all factors influencing it’s efficiency.

Hard-tail bikes have generally less maintenance than dual suspension bikes. By sticking to a couple of basic measures you can prolong the life of your bike and keep it running smoother for longer.

BASIC PREVENTATIVE MEASURES

  1. EVERY RIDE
  • Check you front and rear tire pressure before every ride and make sure it is inflated to the desired pressure.
  • Spin the wheels and move then side to side while holding the bike to make sure there is no play and to assess the trueness and possible brake drag.
  • Check thru-axles and quick release tensions.
  • Lube chain before every ride.
  • Wash bike / drive train after every ride. Wipe chain and lube before storing / packing away.
  1. EVERY 3 TO 5 RIDES
  • Check brake pads front and rear. Look through the caliper with a white background to assess the life left on the pads.
  • Check shock pressures, rear and front. Make a note of the correct shock pressures and check for accuracy with a shock pump.
  • Check for chain wear or slack with a chain checker. A stretched chain will cause unwanted wear on your cassette and chainring teeth …. 0.5 on the chain checker is a good indication that the life of your chain has been reached.
  • Check bolt tensions throughout the bike to make sure there are no loose bolts creating mysterious noises.
  • Check for play on the headset and bottom bracket. This could be the cause of creaking noises when riding and can be easily fixed if caught early.
  • Check all spokes to see if any of them are loose.
  1. EVERY 3 TO 6 MONTHS
  • Service fork lowers. Damage to the stanchions is costly.
  • Flush and bleed brakes to prolong the life of the calipers and levers, pistons etc.
  • Thoroughly clean drive train, cassette, pully wheels (check for wear & play, re-grease if possible) etc.
  • Check tire sealant levels, top-up or clean out and refill if necessary.
  • Check tire tread and sidewall integrity. As tires become old, cracks will appear and if the tread is running low, this will be a good time to replace the tire.
  1. EVERY 6 MONTHS TO 1 YEAR
  • Service rear shock.
  • Service frame, completely strip the bike of all components, check all bearings and pivots, re-grease / replace where needed.