I know you love riding your mountain bike or are a cycling enthusiast and train all year round.
Just as you need to rest from time to time and go to the physio to keep your body in good shape and avoid injuries, I know that you take your bike to the shop when you have fallen or broken a part, but...
How many times do you take it just to check that everything is fine and to do preventive maintenance on your suspensions and your bike?
Well, this is what I want to talk to you about, the importance of preventive maintenance on your bicycle and the important money savings that you can benefit from.
As you well know, your bicycle is a mechanical device, and more and more often we find ourselves with electronics, electric motors, batteries, and this needs maintenance or at least a periodic inspection to ensure that it lasts its entire useful life in good condition.
As you are an avid cyclist you probably own a racing bike or a mountain bike or both and if so, you know how important it is to take care of them.
The first thing that comes to mind when we talk about preventive maintenance is safety.
It is logical that if you want to continue riding your bike with confidence, then it is important that all parts are in good condition. This means, for example, regularly checking the bearings, shock absorbers, brakes and tires.
You should do this even if you don't have any problems with them, as it can prevent future problems. You may not realize that there are small details on your bicycle that could cause problems and if you can avoid them before they happen, you will be able to finish that cycling tour that you have been preparing for so long without any breakdown, or you will be able to do the training that you have planned. Always send your personal tormentor to the letter since the bike has not given you a single problem and has not left you stranded in the middle of the session, to give a couple of examples.
Did you know that 80% of breakdowns on your bicycle could have been avoided? The vast majority are due to poor maintenance.
The bicycle is an investment and, like any other investment, you have to take care of it, if you want it to last and if you later want to sell it for a reasonable price, if you provide real evidence that the bicycle has been well cared for you will be able to argue why. price and it will be much easier for you to sell it.
That's why it's important to take your bike to the shop regularly and not just when necessary because something breaks or malfunctions.
And the big question is What should I check?
First of all, you should check if the suspension is working properly. To do this, check the suspension settings to adapt them to your weight and driving style and check that these adjustments work, I find many cases in which the suspension adjustments are touched and they tell me that they don't notice a difference, because in that case it's Maintenance.
Then you have to check the system of the brakes, checking the state of wear of the pads and also the discs, NOTE that almost no one looks at the discs... It is also important to check the state of the brake fluid (a liquid exposed to sudden changes in temperature and/or important use degrades, showing a darker color and losing its properties)
As for the changes, you must check that all the gears mesh well, that the cables and the covers that cover them are in good condition, and change them if you detect rust or any cracks in the covers.
In addition to keeping the chain correctly lubricated, it is important to regularly measure the wear of the chain (wear=stretch). A stretched chain forces it to adapt to the sprockets with the force you are generating and if you overdo it, you may find that You have to change the entire transmission.
As for the tires, you must make sure that they have acceptable wear, without torn off studs or cracks on the sidewalls. Check the level of the anti-puncture fluid if you use a tubeless system (if you added fluid more than 3 months ago and the air remains barely during an outing means you have to refill again)
On the subject of bearings, just like when with a person who tells you 4 things you already detect that you don't have a feeling with them, the same thing happens with the bicycle, whether you have a road bike, a dual-suspension mountain bike, an e-bike, da Likewise, when you detect a noise that has never been made before, or you have noticed something on the bike that doesn't give you a good feeling, even if you don't know what it is, it is important that the warnings go off.
It's time to play Cluedo and investigate where that bad feeling or noise may be coming from, since it may be a bearing that has seized but continues to rotate inside the housing itself (prepare paste to fix it, in case you are lucky and can be fixed) or it could be a crack in the frame, or a hose that has been cut by a stone that has jumped and although it is minimal but it oozes oil every time you brake hard...
It's important to make sure everything is working properly before hitting the trails again, so be sure to periodically take your bike to the shop, even if it's just for routine reasons.
It won't cost anything for your mechanic to take a look, he'll be happy that you care about your bike, because there's nothing that pisses off a mechanic more than fixing things that could have been avoided (with the respective bill and a bad face for it). your part when he explains it to you included)
Any questions you have about your bicycle can be discussed with your trusted mechanic, or you can also contact us at Bikearea to help you with whatever you need. It is as easy as writing to us on WhatsApp, calling us by phone or sending us an email and we will contact you as soon as possible. it is possible for us. Here I leave you the link to our contact page to make it easier for you.
In case it is your suspensions that have you worried, you notice that they are abrupt, that they do not behave as they did before and it has been more than a year since you have carried out any maintenance or taken them to the workshop to check how they are. We all have our Suspension Maintenance service at your disposal at your home. You only have to take care of removing the fork and/or shock absorber from your bicycle and pack it well in a box and we will take care of bringing it to our workshop, repairing them and returning them again already repaired in the shortest time possible.
