The tour starts soon, and the nice weather is coming again, longer days are ahead of us, and you can´t just wait to get on the two wheels and do a short trip to feel free again.
But wait, your bike has been in the shed or the storage room for the whole winter, and it would be nice to do some small checks to have a nice, safe and smooth ride.
These are 11 steps on How to clean your bike and do proper checks. You can follow to get your 2 wheeler in order.
1. Plan your session and fetch the tools you will need
Start the bike check-in in good time so that there is still time for unforeseen repairs. This also includes a look in the closet -Do you have all the cleaning stuff, chain oil and possibly small spare parts available?
If major repairs are due in the workshop, it is best to make an appointment in the bike shop early on. During the pandemic and in spring in general, workshops sometimes have long waiting times.
If you normally manage your small repairs, you know what to do, start checking where that toolbox is and if there is something you need beforehand.
If you don´t have a bike stand and don’t want to break the bank, I recommend you get one that includes a tightening rod to support the front wheel straight. You don´t want it to be moving all over the place whilst you are working.
2. Put gloves and apron on
Cleaning bicycles is often a dirty business. It is worth wearing disposable or household gloves to keep fingers and hands clean. You also have to wear gloves that protect you from undesirable cuts that can later get infected with the grease and the oil we use on the bike. You want something resistant and that can be used more than once. We recommend these mechanics gloves that will help you to keep your hands clean and cuts free!
Aprons are a nice piece to have in case you decide to dedicate some time to fixing and cleaning your bike. It is not only for the good looks, but a good apron will prevent you from dirtying your clothes with sometimes very difficult to clean grease, will allow you to keep your tools with you and some of them will even have lumbar support. It´s a win-win!
3. How to clean your bike? Start by cleaning the bike
The best way to remove coarser dirt is with a hand brush, an old toothbrush or bristle brush can also help in hard-to-reach places.
- We recommend four brushes for use on the wheel, frame, chain and hub.
Park Tool’s GSC-1 GearClean™ Brush has a unique design. A large comfortable handle with a curved, toothed-end reaches dirt deep between the gears, and tough nylon bristles clean the derailleur and chain. Saves wear and tear on your chain and freewheel. Works great on brakes or other places where dirt collects. Also, I recommend the Tapered Detail Brush, Frame Cleaning Sponge/Bristle Brush and the Soft Bristle Soaping Brush.
They all come in a bundle here
- Then clean the bike with warm water and a hard-wearing cloth. A special bicycle cleaner, such as the biodegradable “Green Fizz” from Pedro’s, helps to remove stubborn dirt.
- Then, it is good to polish the frame and parts with something like Pedro’s Bike Lust Polish with a 16-Ounce Trigger Bottle. For example, it is suitable for maintaining rubber and plastic parts and making them supple.
- Be aware, high-pressure cleaners are not designed for cleaning bikes. They can force dirt and moisture into the bearings and damage them as a result. However, there are now special low-pressure washers that were specially developed for cleaning bicycles.
4. Clean and lubricate the chain
The easiest way to clean the chain is to run it through a dry cloth. A special chain brush is used for coarse dirt, which makes it easier to clean the chain, cassettes and chainrings thanks to the shape of its nylon bristles, which brings the cleaner directly into the narrow spaces. This means that the basic lubrication is retained.
After removing the dirt, the chain has to be lubed. I normally use Pro Gold Pro Link Chain Lube. I have tried many, but this one is the best I have ever owned. The Excess lubricant should be removed afterwards as it acts as a dirt trap, reducing the life of your chain.
Depending on the road conditions and how well is maintained, a chain can last approximately around 2000 miles before you have to change it. Sometimes even a bit more. The more you maintain it properly, the better are the chances that will last you longer. Also will be preserving the life from other parts, like the cassette.
5. Check tires
A flat tire has ruined many a tour, and nobody likes to have a flat after another one and mend it on the road. To prevent this, it is important to check the tires regularly – of course also during the spring check.
Check all around whether the tire has become brittle on the flanks and whether it has been damaged by objects such as broken glass, nails, etc. On this occasion, rims and spokes can also be checked for damage. If you want to be on the safe side when it comes to tires, especially when you intend to tour for several days, you can opt for a puncture-proof Schwalbe “Marathon Plus”. They are worth it. My wife and I have gone for several thousands of miles and only had a couple of punctures.
I have also used the Continental Contact Plus tyres in the past with also very good results. Almost no punctures until they wore off.
6. Check the pressure and Inflate accordingly
With the right tire pressure, it rolls easier and with less friction. Also with more puncture protection, the tyre would be harder.
If your bike is on the heavy side due to being laden, it’s also recommended to inflate the tyre with the maximum pressure recommended by the manufacturer, which normally will come engraved on the tyre´s sidewall. This is to protect the tyre and the sidewalls from collapsing. In my experience, I have broken a tyre just by neglecting that advice
Do not generally rely on the common “thumb method”, Check the tire pressure properly. I recommend a precise tire pressure pump with a gauge such as the Topeak Turbo Morph bike pump. On its travel version, it’s the best and most durable air pump I have ever owned. The minimum and maximum permissible tire pressures are indicated on the tire wall.
7. Check the brakes
Worn brake pads require timely replacement. With mechanical rim brakes, notches in the brake pads show whether there are still in use or you have to replace them. If that´s the case, change the brake pads! Another indicator of a pending replacement is, among other things, scratching noises when braking.
The best brake rims I have ever had were the SwissPro Full Flash Pro original. A bit on the expensive side but a worthwhile investment. Easy on rims while offering excellent stopping power in wet and dry, oodles of modulation and silent running. The good news is that it´s easy to find replacements for the pads.
I recommend always taking a replacement with you in case you are going off for 2-3 days, especially if the weather is quite wet and you will be tackling mountain passes. It´s not a nice feeling to run out of brakes when you are going down the hill whilst raining and fully loaded.
Disc brakes are more and more common and work better in all the weather conditions, especially when your bike is fully loaded and you need big braking power. I go with the Avid BB7 and I have never had any problems with them. After trying many different ones, these are my favourites and the ones I have chosen for my round the world tour, going fully loaded. Avid BB7’s advantages are clear: low cost, low maintenance, low weight (even lower than some hydraulic disc brakes), good braking power and decent life of brake pads. As a little secret, we recommend installing 180 mm Avid G2 Cs rotors, which should be enough for the front, and 160 mm for the rear. Thanks to their construction, they offer improved performance and better resistance to overheating on trails with long descents. They are very powerful and easy to maintain. They have never let me down.
In order to clean them, protect them with a special brake guard to fit on the rotor and avoid contaminating it with grease or debris from the road. The brake systems can be gently cleared of brake dust, oil residues and grease. The brake lining should be at least one millimetre thick – otherwise, replace it. If you feel insecure, it is better to let the specialist take a trained look at it.
8. Check the spokes
It´s important to check if the spokes have the correct tension. It would just take a minute, and you could be avoiding a nightmare when one or more brakes.
Wheels that are strong, reliable and long-lasting have spokes that are properly tensioned. Tension is the amount of force pulling on a wheel’s spokes. Spokes that have low tension will continue to loosen as the bike is ridden, resulting in shortened spoke life and a wheel that requires continuous re-truing. And that can be expensive or laborious! As the wheel rotates while in use, the spokes that are on the bottom next to the ground actually lose tension momentarily. This loosening each revolution is a “stress cycle”, and low tension wheels actually see a greater stress cycle than wheels with relatively greater tension. A high-stress cycle fatigues the metal and leads to spoke breakage.
Spokes that have too much tension can result in deforming and/or cracks near the nipple holes of the rim, as seen in the image below. Notice the crack at the red arrow.
Too much tension can also lead to failure of the hub flange. The wrench flats of the spoke nipple can become deformed and rounded by forcing the nipple to turn while the spoke is at too high tension.
In addition to achieving proper spoke tension, it is also important for all the spokes in the wheel to have approximately the same relative tension. Relatively great differences in tension between each of the spokes will result in a wheel that is not laterally stable and that will come out of true more easily and more frequently.
The recommended tension for spokes in bicycle wheels can be as low as 80 Kilograms force (Kfg) and as high as 230 Kilograms force. As a rule of thumb, it is best to set tension as high as the weakest link in the system will allow, which for a bicycle wheel is usually the rim. Therefore, to obtain a spoke tension recommendation for a specific wheel, it is best to contact the rim manufacturer.
Rim true, or run-out, is dependent upon spoke tension and on the original manufacturing tolerances of the rim hoop before the wheel is even built. Good quality rims may vary in rounds less than 1mm before being built.
I carry a mini tool on virtually every ride, and normally a spoke wrench, which is a must for me. It happened once to me, that I ended up with the bike wheel touching literally both of the sides of the fork. This is because a couple of spokes broke and the wheel unbalanced. I checked my multi tool, but it didn’t have a built in tool for the spokes. Since then, wherever I go I carry a small spoke wrench. My mechanic advised me of the Park Tool four-sided spoke wrench. It´s very small and light, but it sorts you out
This can happen for a number of reasons – you hit something, someone hits you, or spokes just gradually take off some tension. Whatever the cause, it can quickly ruin a ride and leave you calling the support vehicle (aka significant other).
So, the easiest fix is to make sure your tool has spoken wrenches. Failing that, here’s an easy way to get back on the road…
9. Check and adjust the light
The lighting system is in constant use by motorists, as they are always on the road with lights in the morning and the evening. But even in summer, it is worthwhile, as a cyclist, to be on the road with daytime running lights for better visibility. If you still do not see the light, you should check the lines and contacts.
I recommend a dynamo system lighting option for your bike. It uses energy produces from your bike when moving. The generator is inside the front hub. The advantage of this system is that you don´t need to recharge the battery of the lights for it to work, and is quite a powerful one. I operate the reliably last the life of the bike. Bush & Muller Headlight Lumotec IQ-X are quite reliable lights to consider. A good alternative to consider is the Super Nova Adults E3 Pro 3.
If you decide to go for this kind of light you will need a dynamo hub to generate the electricity. A good one, durable, reliable and not very pricey to consider is a Shimano Alfine Dynamo Disc Hub. This version is compatible with disc brakes. When you look for one, you need to consider the number of spokes you have, and the compatibility with disc brakes. Usually, the Alfine has a hub with 32 and 36 holes.
10. Check screws
At the end of the check, the screws on all important components such as stem, handlebars, cranks and chainrings should be checked again for their correct fit. The loose screw connections can be tightened again. You can do it with a screwdriver or a multi-tool, whatever you feel better with.
I recommend getting a set of Hex keys. If you will be doing the small maintenance of your bike, you will need more comfortable with the tools you are using. Also, you will be doing your job faster and with fewer frustrations.
Always observe the manufacturer’s torque specifications, as you don´t want to overtighten a screw
11. Polishing
Finally, you let the bike shine again in new splendour, e.g. with a “Bike Lust Polish”. The protective polish cares for the surfaces and protects against UV rays. Finally, you can remove the remaining moisture with a lint-free cloth and polish the frame to a glossy finish.
And voilá, you are ready to hit the road again!
What´s next?
If you liked this article, check out the Best bike tools when travelling by bike.
Also, have you ever thought about the most recurrent mistakes a person does when travelling by bike? It will surprise you.
What do you think?
