Bicycle inner tubes for road bikes or MTBs: Wha...
Bicycle tube or tubeless tyre? Butyl, TPU or latex? Find out which system is best for you and your bike here.
How To: Inspect Your Bike
Ready for the season? We’ll show you how to prepare your bike for the upcoming season and which parts require special attention.
Looking to get your bike fit for the start of the season and wake it from its well-deserved winter slumber? Then you’d do well to give it a thorough inspection before going on your first big ride. To help you get started, we’ve put together a list of the most important points. In this overview, you will find essential tips and tricks for each section, which you should take into account so that you don't end up on the side of the road with a defect while your bike buddies are enjoying their first ride. We’ve also linked to our detailed how-to guides that cover more complicated topics, which will help you further master these tasks.
Before you start: General tips for every inspection Safety first – How to maintain your brakes Tread, cracks or porous spots? Check your tyres! Perfect performance: Maintaining your gears & drivetrain Servicing bearings - Are they running smoothly? Suspension: Servicing suspension forks and shocks Last but not least: Check your frame for damage
Want to know which parts have to be checked when inspecting your bike? We’ll show you how to check your brakes...
...what to look for in tyres...
...when you should maintain or renew your drivetrain and...
...how to keep the bearings of your bike running smoothly.
Before you start: General tips for every inspection
- Always start your inspection with a clean bike
- Proceed systematically and work your way gradually, for example, from the back to the front
- A repair stand makes the whole affair much more relaxed
- Check all screw connections with a torque wrench
- Lubricate your drivetrain when you are done with everything.
Safety first – How to maintain your brakes
If you brake late, you go faster for longer, but if you can't brake at all, you'll rarely be happy. In this aspect, the brakes are sometimes the most important components on your bike and therefore deserve your full attention.
Ideally, you should check your brake pads before every ride.
Check the brake hoses completely from the lever to the caliper for possible leaks.
Check the pressure by pulling on the brakes when stationary - if it doesn't feel good and crisp, and you’re able to pull the brake lever to the handlebars, then a bleed session is definitely in order.
If you use brakes with DOT, we recommend changing the brake fluid completely at least once a year.
Brake rotors also wear out. Use a caliper gauge to check the thickness. The respective wear limits differ depending on the manufacturer.
Tread, cracks or porous spots? Check your tyres!
The tyres are the points of contact between your bike and the ground. At the start of the season, it is especially worth taking a thorough look at them. You should change old and worn-out tyres right away to save yourself unnecessary headaches with flats or poor grip on tours.
First, check your tyres for external damage by examining them all around. Foreign bodies, cracks or porous areas will immediately stand out on closer inspection.
Of course, you can also check the condition of your treads during a visual inspection. With road bike tyres, the often embedded indications of wear on the tread are very helpful in deciding whether the tyre is still good.
If you ride your bike tubeless, always check the condition of the tubeless sealant. This can not only age, but also dry out, which can happen especially when the bike is sitting unused over long periods of time. Of course, dried-out or old tubeless sealant is hardly effective, so our recommendation is to check the level of sealant and refill if necessary or replace it with new sealant.
Perfect performance: Maintaining your gears & drivetrain
Without a functioning drivetrain, no ride is fun. A chain wear gauge can help you keep an eye on the condition of your drivetrain. It’s a simple-looking tool with a huge impact, as it helps to determine with relative precision when the chain needs to be replaced.
Check the wear of your chain with a chain wear gauge.
If the chain is worn, also look at the cassette and the chainrings and check for signs of wear. Worn teeth on the cassette or chainring are more like shark’s teeth, and even a new chain won't help.
To clean the drivetrain, especially the chain, it is advisable not to use aggressive cleaners, as you often run the risk of washing off all lubrication. The remedy of choice is therefore often Ballistol Universal Oil. Note to all wax fans, though: using an oil for cleaning is obviously counter-productive.
If the drivetrain is clean and not worn-out, I shift through all gears once to test it. This way, any shifting problems or unpleasant noises can be quickly detected.
Derailleur pulleys are an often overlooked part on the rear derailleur. If they are worn out, however, this has a negative effect on shifting performance. It won’t hurt to have an extra look here either. In any case, derailleur pulleys are not very expensive or complicated to change. However, when assembling and disassembling, make sure that the upper and lower pulleys are correctly assigned.
If the gears don't want to run smoothly despite properly adjusted shifters, the problem is often due to old and corroded cables and/or cable housing. Check them once over the entire length and fit new ones if the condition requires it. You can often solve the problem by lightly lubricating the cable, e.g. with chain lube or universal oil.
EVERYTHING FOR INSPECTIONS FROM CHAINS, CASSETTES & MORE
How To: Replace the Chain on Your Road Bike in ...
Is the chain on your gravel or road bike worn out? Do you want to install a new one? With our how-to guide, replacing the chain is a piece of cake.
How To: Changing a cassette on a road bike? Thi...
A cassette on a road bike or gravel bike can be changed quickly. We’ll show you how to replace the cassette with just two tools.
How to: Replacing the MTB Chain
Is the chain on your MTB worn out? Do you want to fit a new one? No worries. We’ll explain how you can replace your chain on your bike.
Grease, Lubricate and Maintain Your Bike Chain
Well-greased chains are smooth, quiet, and shift with precision. But which lubricant is the best? Here are some tips for proper chain care.
How To: MTB Cassette Replacement Made Easy!
With the right tools, replacing the cassette on your MTB is a quick and easy task. We’ll show you how it’s done.
How to – MTB Shifters & Derailleurs: Adjusting ...
Whether you’re using Shimano or SRAM, adjusting the derailleur on a mountain bike or e-MTB is not difficult. With our tips, every gear will shift smoothly.
Servicing bearings - Are they running smoothly?
Depending on the component, you will have to check various ball bearings in different ways. However, you can always look out for common symptoms that will indicate whether a bearing is still OK or if it should be replaced.
Do the bearings still run smoothly when you move them by hand? Or do they run rough, have a noticeable degree of resistance and make scratching or even grinding noises? Do the bearings have some play when you wiggle them?
These are easily-detectable signs of worn-out bearings that you should replace.
If the bearings are still in good condition, it is best to clean them thoroughly and apply a new layer of grease to protect them from water and dirt.
Suspension: Servicing suspension forks and shocks
Suspension forks and shocks will serve you optimally if you look after them with the necessary care. For this reason, we recommend cleaning them after each ride and adhering to the maintenance guidelines specified by the manufacturer.
Thoroughly servicing suspension parts before the season begins is not a bad idea. If you take care of it now, the servicing wait period should fall within a reasonable time frame.
The exact procedure varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. Manufacturers now document this in great detail and give a very good insight into the process with step-by-step pictures.
ALL BEARINGS AND SUSPENSION COMPONENTS FOR YOUR BIKE
Air, Steel and Titanium – Mountain Bike Suspens...
Air fork and coil shock with titanium or steel coils? We’ll go over the characteristics of different spring media for mountain bikes and e-bikes.
Rebound & Compression: What's What in MTB Suspe...
In order to fully utilise the potential of your mountain bike suspension, you should know its adjustment options and functions. We’ll explain them all!
How Does Suspension on a Mountain Bike Work? Sp...
Modern MTB suspension systems consist of a spring and a shock. We explain the differences so that you can find your perfect suspension setup more easily.
How to: Find the right headset for your bike wi...
You can easily find the right headset for your bike with the help of S.H.I.S. We’ll explain how this standardised naming system works.
BC Guide: Finding the right bottom bracket for ...
There are so many standards for bicycle bottom brackets that it is easy to lose track of them all. We’ll help you find the right one for your frame.
Last but not least: Check your frame for damage
When inspecting your bike, you should also take a look at the condition of your frame. Sometimes, you have to look for fine cracks in the paint or on weld seams. Make sure to take your time and proceed with appropriate care.
Make sure the lighting is good when you check the frame.
Since some damage is easier to feel than see, use your hands to search for defects.
Also check the places where cables from the gears or brake run. In these areas, the surface is often affected by friction. In this case, frame protectors are a good option for protecting your frame from unsightly abrasions.
