If you own a mountain bike you can save money and improve your enjoyment of riding it by performing your own mountain bike maintenance.
If you know you can repair any breakdowns you will feel more confident going on longer, more remote trails but you'll be less likely to have breakdowns if you've maintained your bike properly.
You will save money by doing your own mountain bike maintenance as you won't need to pay a mechanic to do it for you, and your parts should need replacing less often if you've looked after them.
The first important thing to do if you're going to perform your own maintenance is to get yourself the right basic tools. Over time you'll probably get more specialist tools as you'll learn more about your bike and its parts.
You should also carry a tool kit with you when you ride and you can get complete basic tool kits to carry with you that are more compact than the regular tools you might use at home. Remember to test all tools at home before you take them out with you.
Before rushing out to buy any tools, one of the most important elements of basic mountain bike maintenance is keeping your bike clean.
After every ride make sure you wash or wipe your bike down, using hot water and soap, and then rinse it with clean water or wipe it down with a wet cloth to help prevent dirt and grit getting into parts.
Another basic requirement of mountain bike maintenance is lubricating the chain from time to time. This is important to make sure it works properly and efficiently. When you apply the lubricant do it a few hours before you ride, not ten minutes before, as it needs time to work into the chain properly.
You will also need to check the air pressure in your tyres as part of your maintenance routine, as this will make your ride more comfortable and protect the tyres for longer. Then you will need to change the tyres occasionally, depending on how often you ride, and make sure you can repair a puncture.
The next elements to remember to check as part of your regular maintenance routine are brake and gear cables. These can stretch over time and won't work as well, so they also need to be replaced every 6 months or so, depending on often they are used.
Checking your brake pads is the next really important task on your list of maintenance issues to deal with. They can wear out fast and you should also be checking the alignment of the pads against the wheel rims. They should be free of the sidewall of the tyres when not applied but sit squarely on the rims when they are applied.
Finally check all nuts and bolts on your bike in your regular maintenance routine and use an Allen key or a spanner to tighten any loose bolts you find.
Even with regular maintenance breakdowns will happen, even to the best bikes and most experienced riders. It is just part and parcel of mountain bike riding but it's better to be able to fix breakdowns or prevent them whenever possible through regular maintenance checks.
Mountain bike maintenance is more often than not cheaper than repair so look after your bike well with regular checks. Also with just a little maintenance knowledge you can ride further for longer and feel safe that you can fix things when they go wrong. - 22873
If you know you can repair any breakdowns you will feel more confident going on longer, more remote trails but you'll be less likely to have breakdowns if you've maintained your bike properly.
You will save money by doing your own mountain bike maintenance as you won't need to pay a mechanic to do it for you, and your parts should need replacing less often if you've looked after them.
The first important thing to do if you're going to perform your own maintenance is to get yourself the right basic tools. Over time you'll probably get more specialist tools as you'll learn more about your bike and its parts.
You should also carry a tool kit with you when you ride and you can get complete basic tool kits to carry with you that are more compact than the regular tools you might use at home. Remember to test all tools at home before you take them out with you.
Before rushing out to buy any tools, one of the most important elements of basic mountain bike maintenance is keeping your bike clean.
After every ride make sure you wash or wipe your bike down, using hot water and soap, and then rinse it with clean water or wipe it down with a wet cloth to help prevent dirt and grit getting into parts.
Another basic requirement of mountain bike maintenance is lubricating the chain from time to time. This is important to make sure it works properly and efficiently. When you apply the lubricant do it a few hours before you ride, not ten minutes before, as it needs time to work into the chain properly.
You will also need to check the air pressure in your tyres as part of your maintenance routine, as this will make your ride more comfortable and protect the tyres for longer. Then you will need to change the tyres occasionally, depending on how often you ride, and make sure you can repair a puncture.
The next elements to remember to check as part of your regular maintenance routine are brake and gear cables. These can stretch over time and won't work as well, so they also need to be replaced every 6 months or so, depending on often they are used.
Checking your brake pads is the next really important task on your list of maintenance issues to deal with. They can wear out fast and you should also be checking the alignment of the pads against the wheel rims. They should be free of the sidewall of the tyres when not applied but sit squarely on the rims when they are applied.
Finally check all nuts and bolts on your bike in your regular maintenance routine and use an Allen key or a spanner to tighten any loose bolts you find.
Even with regular maintenance breakdowns will happen, even to the best bikes and most experienced riders. It is just part and parcel of mountain bike riding but it's better to be able to fix breakdowns or prevent them whenever possible through regular maintenance checks.
Mountain bike maintenance is more often than not cheaper than repair so look after your bike well with regular checks. Also with just a little maintenance knowledge you can ride further for longer and feel safe that you can fix things when they go wrong. - 22873
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