The more you ride your bike, the more you wear stuff out and the more you eventually break stuff. And then, depending on the tools you have available at home and the do-I-give-a-damn factor you have for mechanic perfectionism, you may develop a series of half-arsed strategies for keeping your bike rolling between visits to your local shop.
In the same way that your mate may have a nasty scar where she should have gone for stitches, or you entered a race just to finish it not to blitz it, the strategies suggested here are written in the spirit of 'near enough is good enough': some basic knowhow that will keep you out of trouble and save you some cash or time. Follow our Home Wrench columns, for tips for more in-depth geekery on how to maintain your bike’s factory-fresh qualities all year round.
1. Derailleur tension
Cable stretch is the most likely cause of sloppy shifting, especially if your bike is new or you’ve just had the cables replaced by someone who knows more about bikes than you do. Twist the adjustment gizmo near the derailleur or shifter a quarter of a turn at a time, spin the pedals and use your ears to tell when the tension is correct. If the sound of your chain gets louder, twist in the other direction.
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Related video and reading: How to adjust your derailleurs
(Note: best not to play with the adjustment screws, because these just set the extreme limits of the derailleurs. If you don’t know what these are, see here – or just stay away from them.)
2. Slow tyre leak
Assuming your mountain bike tyres are tubeless, if you have a slow leak it’s a sign your sealant has dried up. Remove the valve core or pop the tyre bead and add some more. Add twice as much as the recommended amount so it lasts longer this time. Also add extra if you’re riding somewhere with thorns, or you haven’t added any in a while. By the time you wear out your tyre, you’ll be surprised how much lighter your bike feels without five serves of dried up sealant rolling around inside it as well.
3. Saddle level
4. Rebound settings
5. Puncture protection
6. Bike clean
7. Women-specific conversion
8. Hydraulic disc brake adjustment
9. Know your limits
You can read more at BikeRadar.com
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