How to give your bike an annual overhaul correctly?
Do you yearn to ride your bike in the middle of those cold winter months? Do the next best thing and become reacquainted with your bike by giving it an annual overhaul:
- Deep-clean the chain. Soak the chain in a environmentally safe degreaser to get a deep clean in between the links, rollers, and pins.
- True the wheels. All those bumps over the course of the year are going to affect the tension of your spokes and, as a result, your wheel alignment. Take the time to bring it back into true.
- Replace cables and the housing. Inspects your cables and the housing in which they run. If you notice any kinks, rusting, fraying, or a buildup of dirt and grime, it’s probably time to install new ones.
- Overhaul the hubs. Overhauling the hubs annually is especially important if you have traditional hubs with loose bearings. If you have sealed bearings, you probably can go a few years.
- Overhaul the headset. Yearly maintenance is a good time to inspect, clean, adjust, and overhaul the headset.
- Overhaul the pedals. Pedals are another component that utilizes bearings. As with the hubs, if you want them to continue spinning smoothly, give them an overhaul.
- Overhaul the bottom bracket. The bottom bracket is the center of your drivetrain. All the revolutions of the bottom bracket add up over the course of a year, so do your bike a favor and overhaul or replace the bottom bracket.
- Clean the rear derailleur. The focus here is on removing the derailleur so that you can clean the dirt where it builds up most, on the two jockey wheels.
- Replace the brake pads. Keep an extra set at home. They’re cheap and easy to install, and when you install a fresh pair, they give you peace of mind.
- Replace the handlebar grips or tape. Need to add a little pizzazz to your bike after a long year of riding? Inject some color and life as well as some comfort for your hands by replacing the handlebar tape or grips.
- Wax the frame. If you take apart your bike for the annual overhaul, take advantage of easy access to a clean frame and give your bike a good waxing.
- Check your accessories. Don’t make the mistake of discovering that you’re missing an important accessory — like a patch kit, tool, or extra batteries for your light — when you have an emergency. Take a quick look at your accessories and confirm that everything is there.
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