How to check your bicycle's health.

Checking your bicycle’s health should be done on a regular basis.  When you keep up with preventative maintenance, it is a lot easier (and cheaper!) to keep your bike in good condition.  With some relatively basic tools anyone can either keep their bike working properly or royally screw something up!  If you have questions about anything written in this article, your local bike shop (LBS) will thank you for coming in BEFORE you make it more difficult for them to repair by messing something up yourself! :-D

There are a few categories that I want to cover in this article. The main ones will be the Pre-Ride Check, Preventative Maintenance, and Bicycle Fit, but I also want to mention a few small Do-It-Yourself projects I’ve found online and that others have been working on to help with commuting and touring for cheap!

So let’s begin!

 

Pre-Ride Check

In order to insure that your bicycle is ready to ride, you should check the following things before riding:

1. Check Tire Pressure
   
   Keeping your tires at the “maximum recommended tire pressure” makes riding your bicycle much easier and much more enjoyable.  The higher tire pressure helps to reduce the amount of surface area of your tire is on the ground resulting in less drag.  Tire pressure is something that can make your ride much more fun or make it miserable!
   
   When checking your tire pressure, it is helpful to first look and feel your tires to make sure that they have air in them.  A properly inflated tire will be very firm and will have minimal deformation when you mount the bicycle.  For a more accurate measurement of the tire pressure, you will need a tire pressure gauge.  After locating the “maximum recommended pressure” written on the side wall of the tire, check the pressure and note the the difference in pressure, if any.  Using a bicycle pump, you can then fill the tire up to the recommended tire pressure.
   
   ***USE CAUTION IF USING A GAS STATION PUMP!  Those pumps are designed to pump a large volume of air, and will very quickly blow your tire off the rim of your wheel!***
   
   
2. Check Brakes
   
   Your brakes are one of the most important pieces of your bicycle, so properly adjusted and functioning brakes are imperative for long distance touring and commuting. According to Virginia State Law, “Bicycles ridden on highways must have brakes which will skid the wheels on dry, level, clean pavement.” If your brakes are too loose, they may not allow you to stop in the event of an emergency and could cause you to get in an accident.  Always be sensitive to how much pressure you’re applying to the brakes, and check them regularly on a ride to insure that they’re still working properly.
   
   Start checking your brakes by giving the brake levers a quick squeeze before you start moving.  This will immediately tell you if you need to make any adjustments or if something is seriously wrong.  There are 5 basic parts of the brake system.  They are the levers, the cables, the brake arms, the brake pads, and the braking surface.  (NOTE: Anyone with basic tool knowledge can adjust the brakes fairly well, but if you are at all unsure if you’ve adjusted your brakes correctly, take your bicycle to your LBS and they should be happy to help!) To check your brakes you want to inspect all of the basic parts of the brake system.  To check the levers, make sure that they move with minimal resistance and there is no apparent damage to the levers themselves.  To check the brake cables, inspect the entire length of the cables to insure that there is no fraying or any portions that are pinched.  The brake arms should not have an physical deformation and should also move freely.  The bolt on the brake arms should be secure, but not over tightened.  Check your brake pads and make sure that you have plenty of braking surface left.  There should be a “wear line” on the top of the brake pad.  Also make sure that your brake pad is touching the rim surface and not dragging along the side wall of the tire both when the brakes are applied and in their “resting” position.
   
   Note: If a brake pad drags along the side wall of the tire for an extended period of time, it can easily cause physical damage to the side wall resulting in the tire needing to be replaced.  Finally, check your brake surface to insure that it is clear of any oils and there are no nicks or burrs on the rim.  Remember, if you have any questions about your braking system, you can always ask a mechanic at your LBS!
   
   
3. Check Wheel Straightness
   
   Riding a bicycle is a LOT easier when your wheels track in a straight line.  This will also make the riding of bicycle more enjoyable, especially for longer distances!  Note: Unless you have experience working on straightening wheels, it is best to leave adjustments to a mechanic at your LBS.  The spoke wrench is an inexpensive tool by itself, but it can cost you a LOT of money if you don’t know what you’re doing with it!
   
   To check the straightness of your wheel, you should do visual inspections.  By picking up each tire and spinning the wheel, you can see if there are any major bends in the wheel.  Another way to notice minor bends in a wheel is by watching how the wheel spins through the brakes.  If the brakes are dragging periodically, it may be a sign that your wheel is slightly “out of true” or not straight.  If your wheel is slightly bent, before riding the bike you should check the spokes to make sure that a spoke has not broken.  If only one spoke has broken, a replacement spoke can be installed and the wheel straightened.  (NOTE: Do NOT ride the bicycle if one of your spokes is broken and if you can avoid riding it further.  You can cause further damage to the wheel by riding it with a broken spoke.) If multiple spokes breaks, it is a sign that your wheel has become weaker over time and will need to be replaced or rebuilt.  Always check your spokes if you notice that your wheel is not straight!
   
   
4. Check Nuts and Bolts
   
   No one likes to be riding down the road and then have some piece of their bicycle fall off!  It is especially annoying when you’re doing a bicycle tour and then your rear rack falls off with all of your gear with it!  Therefore, it is helpful to check all of the nuts and bolts on your bicycle to make sure everything stays where it’s supposed to!
   
   Most of the bolts on your bicycle should be checked during routine maintenance to insure your bicycle is working properly.  Before going for a ride, it is helpful to give these bolts a visual inspection.  It is also helpful to try and give the bolts a turn with your fingers, since a bolt that is finger tight will loosen very easily!

If all portions of your bicycle appear to be in good working condition, you are ready to ride off into the sunset!  Enjoy your ride and ride safe!

 

Preventative Maintenance

Currently being worked on.  Will be updated shortly!

 

Bicycle Fit

Currently being worked on.  Will be updated shortly!

 

Do-It-Yourself Projects

Currently being worked on.  Will be updated shortly!

 

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Please understand that this is for informational purposes. The author of this article shall not be held responsible for any damage or physical injury resulting from the failure to completely understand the information presented in this article.