Bike Maintenance: Essential Tips for Longevity and Performance

If you want to ensure optimal performance and, above all, extend the useful life of your bicycle to the maximum, good maintenance is essential. In this article, we will show you practical tips to always keep your bike in perfect conditions.

Frequent Cleaning: the most basic maintenance

Although it’s something we all know, regular cleaning is crucial to prevent wear caused by dirt and humidity. After each ride, you should clean your bike with water and mild soap or, preferably, with a specialized cleaner. Focus especially on the chain, gears, and brakes. Make sure to wipe them up afterward, as these are components that rust more frequently. Proper maintenance of your bike will not only improve its appearance but also extend its useful life by preventing, among other things, the rust of its components.

Optionally, you can get one of the specific bicycle cleaning kits available in the market. These come with different types of brushes, cleaners, degreasers and lubes for a thorough cleaning.

Use lubes

Applying lubricant to the transmission after cleaning your bicycle is another good way to ensure efficient maintenance, as it helps prevent wear. Once clean and dry, apply a few drops to the chain and run it through all the gears. Then, remove the excess of liquid with a clean cloth.

There are many lubricants available in the market, resistant to water and mud, designed for dry and long-distance conditions, for e-bikes, etc. If you want to find yours, our recommendation is to check out the variety from BLUB.

Always Check Tire Pressure

Pressure can depend on many factors, such as the desired riding conditions, the terrain you will be riding on, the type and size of the tire, each rider’s body weight, etc. Proper pressure not only provides comfort but also prevents punctures and reduces rolling resistance. Therefore, if you want to do effective bike maintenance, it is something important to check before each ride, whether you have inner tube or go tubeless. As you will see, a simple check can make a difference.

Inspect Brakes and Gears

Proper adjustment of brakes and gears is essential not only to ensure their effectiveness but also for your safety. Ensure that the brakes are aligned correctly and that the gears shift smoothly. If you are not comfortable doing it yourself, you can always take your bike to a mechanic to have a professional to adjust them correctly.

At Outbraker, the safety of our cyclists is a priority. That’s why we created the first ABS system for hydraulic brakes. As you know, this system is designed to prevent the front wheel from locking, even in emergency braking, preventing accidents. Similarly, focusing on the needs of Paralympic riders, we designed our Brake Splitter, allowing cyclists with special needs to operate both brakes with a single lever. To always offer the best experience, we recently added the booster function, which allows maintaining the performance of hydraulic brakes constantly, extending the lifespan of brake pads and maintaining the lever feel.

Check Nuts, Bolts, and Screws

It may seem obvious, but these are parts that we often forget and that hold the parts of our bike together. To prevent a piece from coming loose or falling off on the road, it is better to make sure that all nuts, bolts, and screws are tight before riding. Also, we must remember that poorly assembled parts can lead to premature wear, reduce performance, and even be dangerous if they are lost during the route.

Regular Inspection of Components for Effective Maintenance

As you can see, examining all components, such as brake pads, wheels, chain, gears, etc., is the best measure to detect inconveniences before they can become more costly problems.

With these simple bike maintenance tips, you and your bicycle will be ready to face any adventure. And remember, for comprehensive maintenance, it is recommendable to follow the specific advices of each manufacturer. Finally, if you have any doubts, you can always consult with your trusted professional, who will know how to advise you in the best way.