| Riding a mountain bike is great exercise and a lot of | | | | your skills, and put them back together; this is great for |
| fun...and while it's hard on your legs, it's hard on the | | | | adjusting shock absorber systems (and getting rid of |
| machinery itself. Keeping your bike maintained will keep | | | | annoying squeaks), and tightening cables for brakes, |
| you safe, and keep the bike in better condition for | | | | inspecting brake pads, and the like. |
| years to come. There are three basic time frames for | | | | Mountain bikes in routine use get a fair bit of wear and |
| maintaining your bike: | | | | tear. Always check to make sure that things are |
| - Just before you ride, | | | | setting properly when you're off the bike and have it at |
| - just after you ride, | | | | home; again, the aim is to find anything that could break |
| - long-term storage and repairs. | | | | and fix it before you go on the trail rather than have |
| Just before you ride, bike maintenance is fairly | | | | your fun curtailed by equipment failure. |
| straightforward: Check the tire pressure, fill them up to | | | | If you are not an all weather cyclist (and not many |
| the level you're comfortable with and so on. Make sure | | | | people are), its worth carrying out some steps to |
| that the seat is canted at the right angle, make sure | | | | prepare your bike for storage and to take it out again |
| that the quick release levers on the wheels are locked | | | | for the road in the spring. |
| tight, and run the pedals with your hands to make sure | | | | Firstly, when storing your bike, take the wheels off and |
| that the derailleur is working clearly. Your aim is to | | | | hang the frame. When the wheels are off, its worth |
| make sure that if anything is going to need attention, it | | | | running the inner tubes through a bucket of soapy |
| gets it now, rather than after you're out on the trail. | | | | water to locate any slow leaks and patch them, and |
| After the ride, especially if it's been damp or muddy, | | | | its worth tightening and tuning up anything you can |
| you should set the bike upside down (so it's balanced | | | | reach. |
| on the seat and handlebars), and run a damp cloth | | | | A good book for this process is the Complete Bike |
| over the derailleur, and the other moving parts that | | | | Repair Handbook, which we use in our shop for getting |
| shift the chain around for shifting gears. The aim here | | | | bikes ready for sale. It's also a good time to true your |
| is to get any mud, twigs, and brambles out before they | | | | wheels with a spoke wrench. (Some dedicated |
| provide an avenue for moisture to enter. This is also | | | | mountain bikers true their wheels after every ride...) |
| the time to pop the wheels off and clean them before | | | | When you're putting the bike back into roadworthy |
| throwing the bike into the car to drive back home. | | | | condition, the top priority is checking the breaks, |
| After you get the bike home, give everything a | | | | followed by running the gear shifts - cable housings |
| thorough cleaning. If you use a dry lubricant on the | | | | can shift when the bike is in storage, which can make |
| chain, about once a month, break the chain and | | | | things a bit noisier than they should be. (Remember, if |
| re-apply it. (We regularly boil our bicycle chains in | | | | it's making noise, then parts that probably shouldn't be |
| paraffin, but that's because we ride in the winter, and it | | | | rubbing, are rubbing.) |
| holds up better to snow and salt). It's also probably | | | | With this advice, you should be well set for mountain |
| time to just take things partially apart, to the limits of | | | | biking fun! |