The snow is melting, it’s T-shirt weather for the first time in months, and you heard that friend of a friend of a guy who knows a person rode a smooth, tacky trail yesterday, and it was great. Well, it’s time to brush the dust off your mountain bike and get that aluminum steed running smoothly for the upcoming season.
First of all, you cleaned your bike when you put it away in the fall, right? Well, if you did, this will be pretty simple. If you didn’t, this may take a while and maybe a few new parts.
Drivetrain: Your drivetrain usually needs more love than anything else, so it’s a logical place to start. Kick it off by thoroughly oiling your chain, cassette, front chainrings, and rear derailleur cogs. This gets everything moving smoothly and lets you actually tune the derailleurs. Since cables stretch over time, there’s a good chance that your ride isn’t shifting like it did when you put it away.
Before you touch a barrel adjustment or limit screw, take a look at your cables and replace anything that’s frayed or looks like it may have stretched. Cables cost just about nothing, so it’s not really worth it to run one to the end of its life. Now that everything is clean and oiled and you have new cables on your bike, throw it up on a stand and adjust both your front and rear derailleurs until they shift as smooth as butter.
Tires and Tubes: Rubber dries and cracks over time, so your tires and tubes can wear out by doing nothing but sitting there. If you run a non-UST tubeless setup, take the time to pull the stem and refill the Stans. If your tubes are on the old side, it’s probably worth the effort to pull them out and pump them up so you can check for cracks or bulges which indicate thin spots. Once you’re done with the Stans or the tubes, throw everything back together and pump it up to standard pressure. Search the tire (specifically the sidewalls) for cracks or bulges. If you find either, replace the tire.
Brakes: Walk up to your bike and pull the brake levers. If your whip has been sitting there for a while, chances are the levers go right to the grips. If this is the case, you need to bleed your brakes. If this isn’t the case, well, you should probably bleed your brakes anyway. It’s best to get it out of the way early and not have to think about it until much later in the summer.
Air Suspension: The easiest way to blow out your fork or shock is to ride it without air, so don’t forget to break out your shock pump and bring the air pressure back to the right level.
Moving Parts: Now that the serious stuff is taken care of, take out the lube again and hit up every moving part on the bike. Lube the stanchions on your fork, the suspension pivots, and anything else that moves.
Full Meal Deal: Everything above is the quick and dirty version. If you’re really serious about keeping your ride clean, the best thing to do is strip it clear to the frame, clean everything, lube everything, and put the whole rig back together. It’s a pain and will probably take pretty much all day, but it’ll be worth it if you’re riding something really nice and expect to keep riding it.
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Tags: DIY, do-it-yourself, gear, gear maintenance, mountain bike cleaning, mountain bike maintenance
[...] drivetrain usually needs more love than anything else, so it’s a logical place to start. Kick it off by thoroughly oiling your chain, cassette, front chainrings, and rear derailleur cogs. This gets everything moving smoothly and lets you actually tune the [...]
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