Basic Bike Maintenance for Beginners

You don’t need to be a full-blown bike mechanic to be able to perform some basic bike maintenance to keep your bike in good condition after each ride. Here are some essential tips you should follow to make sure your bike is always ready to go.

1. Clean the mud/dust – Mud and dust can wreak havoc on your bike if you don’t clean it off. If you ride in particularly muddy, wet, sandy or dusty conditions, all that junk can get into the pivot points and moving areas causing them to wear out and break faster. After dirty rides, clean your bike off with a special bike wash product so issues don’t compound eventually.
2. Lube – Your bike has a lot of moving parts. The gears, chain, pivot points, shocks, etc. Just like your car, you need to keep it adequately lubed so that everything moves properly. Be sure to keep key moving parts clean and greased up so they function the way they should. There are different types of lube for different parts of your bike so be sure to consult your local bike shop and get the right lube for the job.
3. Make sure things are tightened properly – This may be a better tip for before your ride, but be sure to always check and make sure all your bike’s components are tightened properly. Nothing is worse than something unexpectedly coming loose during a ride so make sure you check that your tire through axels are secure, the bolts on your stem are tight, and so on.

There are dozens of other bike maintenance procedures that you should keep in mind, but following the basic ones of cleaning and lubing after rides can help ensure that your bike stays in good condition.