Maintenance

Maintenance

Schedule the work you need to carry out on your bike by developing a maintenance timetable. The timetable on the right provides a good template, since it shows the tasks you should perform on your bike and suggests when you should do them.

Your schedule depends on how much and where your bike is ridden. A heavily used off-road bike requires attention at much shorter intervals, while a bike used for infrequent, short road journeys will need less regular attention.

However, work carried out as part of a maintenance schedule does not replace the safety checks that must be carried out before every ride, or regularly looking for danger signs. You should also check your bike and lubricate the drivetrain every time you clean it.

Maintenance Schedule

DRIVETRAIN		EVERY WEEK	EVERY MONTH	EVERY SIX MONTHS
	CHECK	Chain for wear Gear-shift performance Inner cables for fraying and outer cables for wear Crankarms and chainring bolts for tightness	Bottom bracket for smooth running, play, and bent axle Pedals for play, and clipless pedals for play and release action Rear derailleur pivots for play Cog and chainring teeth for wear	Freehub body and freewheel for play Rear derailleur frame fixing bolt for play Cleats for wear Jockey pulleys for wear
	LUBRICATE	Oil chain Oil jockey pulleys	Oil derailleur pivots Oil and grease inner and outer cables Oil clipless pedal release mechanisms	Grease open-bearing bottom bracket Oil in hub gear, if equipped with oil port Grease bearings in pedals
	REPLACE		Chain on a heavily used bike	Chain Inner and outer cables Cogs on a heavily used bike
STEERING AND WHEELS	CHECK	Headset for looseness and ease of steering Action of quick-release levers Wheels for broken spokes and trueness Handlebar and stem for cracks	Hubs for play on axles, roughness, or tight spots Rubber seals on hubs for splits Covers, if fitted, on headsets	Bearings in open-bearing hubs for wear Bearings and bearing surfaces in headsets for wear
	LUBRICATE		Oil the seals on hubs	Grease open-bearing hubs Grease headsets
	REPLACE			Handlebar tape and grips
BRAKES	CHECK	Inner cables for fraying and and outer cables for weal Pads for wear and alignment Hydraulic hoses for wear, kinks, or leaks Brake levers, arms, discs, and calipers for cracks Disc and caliper bolts for tightness	Discs for wear and calipers for alignment Coaster brake action and chain tension
	LUBRICATE	Oil exposed cables by wiping with wet lube on a rag	Grease inner cables and oil inside outer cables	Grease brake bosses
	REPLACE		Brake pads of heavily used mountain bikes	Inner and outer cables
SUSPENSION	CHECK	Fork and shock exterior surfaces for cracks Stanchions under shock boots, if fitted, for cracks Top caps, crown bolts, and shaft bolts for tightness	Fork and shock for play Fork stanchions to see if oil line visible Fork and shock seals for cracks and slackness. (Play, absence of oil lines, and cracked seals are all evidence of worn seals, which should be replaced by a trained technician.) Fork and shock sag	Fork steerer for cracks, by removing the headset
	LUBRICATE	Teflon oil on fork stanchions and shock body, and on all seals	Turn bike upside down and store overnight so oil can redistribute in fork
	REPLACE			Fork oil Seals on forks and shocks, as part of biannual by trained technician

Making routine safety checks

Troubleshooting