5 CRUCIAL BIKE MAINTENANCE TIPS

Like most mechanical vehicles, bikes need regular maintenance. Our tips remove the mystery and pain from the chore.  

Our bike experts share maintenance tips you can perform yourself to prevent costly repairs.

By Mike Monticello

The thought of hopping onto your bike and hitting the great outdoors, with your hair blowing in the wind (under your CR-tested helmet, of course) is invigorating. After all, cycling is a great form of solitary exercise, which can be appealing for those who dread the thought of going to a crowded gym. It can also be a fantastic way to commute to work, with the dual benefit of reducing carbon emissions while also staying in shape. But it’s important to perform routine bicycle maintenance before taking to the streets. This is especially critical if you’re jumping onto a bike that has been sitting unused in a garage or basement for a couple of years or longer. 

As with most mechanical devices, bicycles need regular care and maintenance to work properly. “There is more involved in going for a bike ride than just pulling the bike down from the garage rafters and putting some air in the tires,” says Jake Fisher, the director of auto testing at Consumer Reports and an avid triathlete and cyclist. “Riding an improperly maintained bike can end up as a miserable adventure at best, and at worst it can be dangerous for you and others out on the road,” he says.

If something on your bicycle is broken or malfunctioning, call your local bike shop and make an appointment for a service drop-off. A good bicycle shop can take care of more technical repair work, like fixing your brakes or a broken chain.

If your bicycle doesn’t have anything mechanically wrong with it, there are some easy precautionary steps you can take to make sure it is safe to ride. And best of all, these tasks require almost no mechanical skills or special tools. Keep reading for our primer on how to perform regular bike maintenance.

5 Bicycle Maintenance Tips

1. Pump up the tires. Bicycle tires naturally lose air over time—your tires are likely to be completely flat if you haven’t ridden in a year or longer. Inflate the tires within the range listed on the tire’s sidewall. Be sure to put air in slowly, checking to make sure the bead of the tire (the sidewall) stays properly “seated” inside the rim of the wheel. “Airing the tire up too quickly, or if the tire isn’t properly seated onto the rim, can cause the tube to burst as you’re pumping air in,” says Gary Nicol, co-owner of Pedal Power bike shops, based in Connecticut. Then, be prepared to add a small amount of air to the tires every few days, because air naturally escapes through pores in the tubes.

2. Give the tires a visual inspection. Once you inflate the tires, look them over thoroughly for cracking or dry rot. Nicol says it’s easy for a tire to develop dry rot with age, especially if the tire has been sitting unused for a couple of years on a concrete floor.

3. Secure the quick-release wheel skewers. Many bicycle wheels use quick-release skewers to attach the wheel to the bicycle, which makes it easy to take the wheel off without using tools. But Nicol says he often sees bicycles come into the shop with the skewers on incorrectly. “The skewers indicate on them which position is open and which is closed, but often people don’t have them locked properly,” he says. This can be dangerous because the wheel could come loose while riding. Clamp the skewers into the position that allows you to read the word “closed.”

4. Check the brakes. Inspect the front and rear brake assemblies to make sure they are working properly. The left and right brake pads on each wheel should come into contact with the rim of the wheel when you pull back on the brake levers. “Make sure there is strong braking force before the point where the brake lever comes in contact with the handlebar,” Nicol says. If it doesn’t, you’ll need to adjust it so that you can get full stopping power in the case of an emergency maneuver.

5. Lubricate the chain. Your chain really is the “link” that makes your bike’s drivetrain function, so it’s important to keep it properly lubricated and free of gunk, grime, and dirt. It’s best to use bicycle-specific chain lube, but Nicol says a multipurpose lubricant, such as 3-in-One oil or WD-40, is better than nothing. Apply only a thin coat of lube because an excessive amount will attract dirt onto the chain as you ride. Shift the bike through all its gears, then wipe the chain down with a rag. “Wiping the chain down before adding lube will accomplish almost nothing if the chain is completely gummed up with old crud,” Nicol says.

Do This Before You Ride

After your bike is ready to hit the road, don’t forget to grab your helmet. Keep in mind, however, that bike helmets don’t last forever. CR’s bike helmet testing experts say the protective foam liner can deteriorate in just a few years, which means it might not provide sufficient protection in an impact or a crash.

Be sure to check out CR’s bike helmet ratings to find out which helmets provide the best protection, ventilation, fit adjustments, and ease of use. Moreover, consult our bike helmet buying guide for smart shopping tips.

CR’s Fisher recommends taking a spare tire tube and small plastic tire tools when you ride in case you get a flat tire (make sure you know how to change it—there are plenty of how-to videos online), along with a mini-pump, or a CO₂ inflator and cartridge, to add air. And don’t forget to take your cell phone in case of an emergency.

Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright © 2024, Consumer Reports, Inc.

2023-05-09T10:19:16Z dg43tfdfdgfd