Maintenance

Ten steps to service your bike for summer

How to ensure your steed is in tip-top condition for a summer of cycling

Check your gears

Summer is coming...
Cleaning the bike should be one of your first priorities
Keep your chain in top condition (Pic: Mike Cotty/Media-24)
Ensuring that your derailleurs are properly adjusted will help to keep your shifting smooth
Give your wheels the once over ahead of the summer season
Prevention is better than cure when it comes to replacing a brake cable
Use a torque key to make sure all the key bolts on your bike are tight
A fresh wrap of handlebar tape can make a big difference to the feel of your ride
It's easy to be lured in by the prospect of a bargain but make sure you get the right size frame (Pic: Media24)
Do your research beforehand to work out what you want from your bike

Check your gears

If there’s anything equally as annoying as a squealing chain then it’s misaligned derailleurs and poorly indexed gears.

A correctly-adjusted front derailleur will bring you smooth shifting between the small ring and big ring, and will stop the chain rubbing on the mech itself. A correctly indexed rear derailleur, meanwhile, will give you fast, accurate and reliable shifting across the cassette.

Fortunately, while it might look like a complicated job to get everything running smoothly, it’s relatively simple and a key skill for the home mechanic. To find out how to setup your gears, watch our video guides on how to adjust the rear derailleur and how to adjust the front derailleur.