How to Tune Up a Mountain Bike

If you don’t ride in the winter, you have probably spent your winter months on the recliner eating chips and viewing television. Before you know it, springtime will be here and a brand new time of mountain biking will commence. While your body may not be in the best of shape, these tips can ensure that the bicycle is.

Before you take your bicycle out, check the wear and tear on your parts and fix them if its needed. Start out with the chain because if you haven’t changed it for over a year, it’s about time to do that. Eventually, the individual parts within the chain will become worn, decreasing its length. When this occurs, the chain cannot mesh with the cog as well as the teeth of your chain ring, therefore it wears the teeth out to fit the profile of your chain. If you can replace your chain before it stretches too much you’ll keep yourself from needing to replace expensive sprockets and chain rings.

Now, inspect your bearing surfaces which include your bottom bracket, hubs, and finally the headset. Each of these must turn without a problem having no play within the system although, before checking the bottom most bracket, make certain each cranking arm is closed tightly. Next, hold on to the crank arm on its own, without the pedal and rock it backward and forward. If you hear any tapping or if the crank arm binds, the bottom most bracket must be adjusted – now do the same operation with your hubs. Remove the wheels from your bike, spin it’s hub axles, and then feel for any free play or stoppage, and if there’s any play, you need to perform an alteration. To check the headset, begin by placing your newly adjusted wheels on your bicycle.

Now, grab the front brake then rock the handlebars back and forth as there should not be any play at all. If you lift the front end up, the bike’s front fork must turn very smoothly however if it seems rough, it needs to be either adjusted or swapped. When you are inspecting, check the condition of your cables and tubes as they should be free of rust, and the housing must not be fractured or even kinked. If you see anything like that you ought to swap out the damaged device, because if you don’t, your shifting and braking will be slow.

Last, you must check the brakes as many will have ridges or indicator marks that would let you know if these need to be swapped. Brake pads that are worn down will can be detrimental to the safety and braking effectiveness. When you have gotten the minor maintenance completed, it is about time to head out for a nice cycle, and with the bike in better condition than ever, all you need to do now is have a good time!