Learn to
Love These Pain Free
Bicycle Maintenance Intervals
By Captain Dondo at
PerformanceBike Unlike in your four-wheeler, there
ain’t no fancy dashboard light to indicate that your bike needs service.
What’s more, there are no hard-and-fast rules, either. Bicycle maintenance
intervals depend on how much you ride, the conditions in which you ride (dry,
wet, dusty, sandy, paved, unpaved, etc.), how hard you ride, and probably
several other factors that haven’t been discovered.
So, for the sake of setting some kind
of parameters, lets assume you ride on the order of six to eight hours a week
in generally dry conditions and that your cycling talent falls midway between
Lance Armstrong and Leonardo DiCaprio (or Karen Kurreck and Katie Couric, if
you prefer). If you consider yourself above these median values or find
yourself riding in sandy/dusty/muddy/rainy conditions, do the following more
often. You Leonardos and Katies can let a little more time slip between tech
sessions (except for tire inflation, cleaning water bottles/reservoirs, and
changing batteries).
WEEKLYISH
Road Bikes
- Air up tires (even the best seep a few
psi per week)
- Lube chain
- Check tires for casing cuts, excessive
wear, embedded objects
- Scrub water bottles and/or hydration
system reservoir/tube
Mountain Bikes
- Air up tires
- Wash bike
- Lube cables
- Lube chain
- Lube pedals
- Lube fork dampers (the place where inner
legs insert in outer legs of telescoping forks) or pivots (link-type
forks)
- Inspect brake pads for glazing or
wear
- Check tires for casing cuts or
deformities (big bulges)
- Scrub water bottles and/or hydration
system reservoir/tube
MONTHLYISH
Road Bikes
- Wash bike
- Lube cables
- Lube pedals
Mountain Bikes
- Check headset adjustment
- Inspect tire treads for wear
- Check fork pivots (link-type forks) for
excessive sideways play
- Check chain for wear
- Evaluate shoe cleat condition
AT LEAST TWICE A
YEAR
Road Bikes
- Reglue tubular tires (unless you
don’t know what this means)
- Remove and grease handlebar stem (quill
type)
- Lube seatpost (grease for alloy posts
into metal frames; anti-seize for Ti posts into Ti frames; nuttin’ for
carbon posts)
- Check chain for wear
- Evaluate shoe cleat condition
Mountain Bikes
- Check all bearings for
dirt/wear/adjustment
- Touch up paint (steel frames
especially)
- Lube seatpost. (see above)
- Check chainrings for wear
- Inspect rear derailleur pivots and
pulleys for wear
- Reglue grips
ANNUALLY
Road Bikes
- Check all bearings for
dirt/wear/adjustment
- Retape handlebar
- Remove and grease handlebar stem (quill
type)
- Lube metal seatpost
- Touch up paint (steel frames
especially)
- Inspect brake pads
- Check chainrings for wear
- Replace cyclometer/heart rate monitor
battery
- Replace all cables and housing
- Inspect rear derailleur pivots and
pulleys for wear
Mountain Bikes
- Overhaul fork
- Replace all cables and housing
- Replace cyclometer/heart rate monitor
battery
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