A Safe, Clean, Bike

Wipe frame and wheels down : This is a pretty important step to make sure structurally your frame and wheels aren’t developing any cracks or chips in the paint or metal.  I use a watered down Simple Green in a spray bottle to do this.

Clean in tight areas : Make sure to wipe down in tight areas, between pivot points or where your cables may wear.  Built up dirt can actually wear into your frame.

Pivot Bolts

Tighten pivot bolts : This applies to mostly full suspension bikes but any part of your bike that moves, like the full suspension linkage, needs to be checked more often.

Check over all bolts : This is pretty self explanatory. My biggest word of advice is to not OVER tighten the bolts.

Go through shifting and braking : Make sure the brakes hit the wheels or rotor evenly and there isn’t any excessively odd wear on the brake pads. The shifting should be crisp and not over shift any cogs or chain rings.

This process, though sounding lengthy, can take only about 5 minutes once you get the hang of it and also if your bike isn’t so dirty.  Soon I’ll go over the proper way to clean off that mucky bike but you are well on your way of a happy bike that will live a long life as your taking good care of it.

Pump Up Your Tires

Check your air pressure a few times a week.  On a high pressure road tire I’m checking it almost every ride to avoid flats and excessive wear.  Or my mountain bike I get away with less pressure so I only check it once a week or so.

Lube Your Chain

Lubing your chain keeps your drive train shifting well, not squeaking and makes it last a lot longer.

Safety Check

This includes: Checking your tires and brake pads for wear. Making sure your brakes stop and gears shift. Finally check that the wheels are round (not hitting your brakes) and wipe down your frame to look for any cracks or dents in the frame/fork area.

Do you have any questions on how to do the three above?  I plan on going over all of the above in their own articles.