Bike Maintenance Basics

Inspecting and adjusting your bike regularly may seem like a chore, but it will save you huge hassles in the long run. Bike maintenance helps you identify and resolve potentially hazardous safety problems, from loose bolts to leaking tires to faulty brakes. Moreover, prolonged neglect of your bike can lead to major, expensive repairs. Performing routine maintenance is the best way to avoid these.

Routine maintenance requires just a few minutes of inspecting and adjusting your bike every few rides. Also, you should do a maintenance check after each very long ride you take. You’ll need a few inexpensive tools, many of which you may already own (see Bicycle Maintenance Tools).

The maintenance tasks explained in this guide should prevent, or at least delay, a trip to the repair shop. That said, sometimes major problems do arise that will require the services of a professional bike mechanic.

If you’re performing routine maintenance and run into a problem that you’re not comfortable addressing yourself, go to a professional bike mechanic (for guidance on hiring a bike mechanic, see How to Find a Bike Mechanic).