How to Get Your Mountain Bike Ready for the Season
Summer is finally here, and it is time to open up the garage and pull out that bike that has been sitting there the whole winter. A quick ride around the block reveals some issues you might have overlooked on your last ride in the fall. The gears aren’t shifting smoothly, the tires feel very low, the dropper post is sticky and does not return very fast, not to mention it is still covered with mud and dirt from your last ride 5 months ago. Your bike needs some love before it is ready to hit the trails again and good news is, most minor tweaks can be done at home.
In this blog, we will go over the usual issues that can be fixed at home and give some tips on how to do so. If home maintenance isn’t up your alley, stop reading and come on up to the Gravity Sports Shop to let one of our trained Bike Mechanics get you ready to rip for the season.
At Home Bike Maintenance:
Wash it:
First things first, wash it. Everyone is guilty of it. After the last ride of the season, you wheeled your bike into the garage, hung it up, and closed the door. Any mechanic will tell you, the first step for working on your bike is to get it as clean as possible. Not only is it much more pleasant to work on, but it is also a great opportunity to check it over and see its condition. Are there any scratches you hadn’t noticed before? Dings in the frame? How are your pedals looking? Condition of your tires? Giving your bike a good, thorough cleaning is, and will always be, step one. There are plenty of great bike wash solutions/kits out there that help tremendously with getting tough dirt and grime off. Make sure however that if you have a carbon frame, the bike wash you use is carbon-safe.
For particularly dirty drivetrains, a degreaser cleaner may be needed. Again, tons of products out there. Another thing to keep in mind while cleaning your drivetrain is to try your very best not to get any degreaser, or grease for that matter, on your brake rotors or your brake pads. We recommend taking your wheel off your bike for the easiest cleaning with the least likelihood of brake contamination.
There are a couple of methods for chain cleaning, one on your bike and the other off. Keeping your chain on is a bit easier but requires a chain-cleaning tool. Essentially a mini enclosed bath with some rotating brushes, fill it with a degreaser (Simple Green works great) and clamp it around your chain. Spin the pedals and watch all the grease come off. The “free” method of this is to tape two old toothbrushes together and spin your chain through after applying a degreaser. Not as effective but will get the job done.
Removing the chain from your bike to clean requires a few more steps. First, if you have a quick link (most modern drivetrains do) you’ll need to remove your chain using that link. Plenty of companies make quick link pliers that make removing your chain super easy. After it is off, fill up a plastic water bottle or other container you can close and shake with a degreaser, throw your chain in, and shake it up! If you aren’t in a rush, you can let it sit there while you clean the rest of your bike and shake it every so often. When you pull the chain out, give it a rinse with the hose and it is good to go. One thing to keep in mind, most manufacturers state that a quick link is a single-use product. Once you remove it, you need to replace it with a new one. Generally speaking, most people do not follow that rule but just be aware that repeated removal and installation could create a weak link in your chain and cause it to be compromised under heavy load.
For both methods, always re-lube your chain with bike chain lube after cleaning to keep it running smoothly.
Most bike cleaning kits will also come with some brush/sponge options, a course brush with a pick on the end for your drivetrain, and either a soft sponge or soft brush for your frame.
Don’t forget the little jockey wheels on your derailleur! Those are often very dirty and can be one of the more satisfying parts to clean. A tire lever or flathead screwdriver usually does the trick, hold the tip against the jockey wheel, spin your wheel backward, and watch a dirt worm form and fall to the ground. Not only is it very satisfying, but will prolong the life of your drivetrain.
Bolt Check:
An often-overlooked routine that should be done every few months. Go through your bike and check that each bolt is torqued to spec. Over time bolts on your bike can rattle themselves loose and pose some serious safety hazards. Imagine going down a rocky section of trail, your stem bolts aren’t tightened properly, and all the sudden your handlebars are facing one way and your wheel another. Pretty scary.
The simplest and most effective way to do a thorough bolt check is to start at the front and work to the back of the bike or vice versa. Most bikes will contain an assortment of bolts and fasteners but generally, they will fall in the 4mm, 5mm, 6mm hex or Allen key sizes. Start with the through axle and make sure that is secure. Next, brake calipers. Stopping is important so make sure both bolts are tight and secure. Also, this is a good time to spin your wheel and see if your brake pads are rubbing on your rotor. We will have a section below on how to remedy that so continue reading. Next, stem bolts, and top cap, if you have lock-on grips check those (likely a 3mm hex) and start working your way backward. Don’t skip any, even your water bottle cage bolts can rattle loose, and out goes your favorite bottle halfway through your first ride. Seat post clamp, saddle bolts, and cranks. At the back of the bike, check your brake caliper and axle but also your derailleur. Your derailleur bolts onto what is called a derailleur hanger and like everything else, that can come loose. If you notice your shifting isn’t perfect, making sure your derailleur is properly bolted is a good place to start. More on that later though.
If you have a carbon bike or any carbon parts, it is very important to make sure you are properly tightening each bolt. Even on aluminum and steel bikes proper torque is important but overtightening on carbon can cause it to crack, rendering it useless. The most foolproof way to ensure everything is to spec is to use a torque wrench. Although a bit expensive, a good torque wrench will last forever, and you will never have any doubt that your bolts are correctly tightened.
Tire Sealant:
Most modern mountain bikes these days are running tubeless tires. If you are not familiar with tubeless you likely do not have them on your bike. Here is the quick SparkNotes version of what a tubeless setup provides.
On older bikes and most road bikes still, the tire is inflated by inflating a tube that sits inside the tire on the rim of the wheel. Tubeless, in the name, gets rid of that tube and replaces it with a latex-like liquid called sealant. The way tubeless works, is if your tire gets a small puncture, say from a thorn, as the air rushes out of the hole, the sealant goes with it. The quick-drying, latex-like sealant bonds with the rubber in your tire and plugs the hole. Most of the time, the rider will not even know they could have potentially had a flat. It is a great system for mountain biking and gravel riding but does require a tiny bit of upkeep.
That upkeep is just making sure you have fresh sealant in your tires. Very easy to do, but requires a specialty tool, a valve core remover. Any bike that is running tubeless will have a Presta valve for tire inflation. The cool thing about those valves is you can remove the core, leaving just the stem sticking out of the wheel. This makes a larger hole and gives direct access to the inside of the tire. From here, all that is left is to add sealant down the hole. Most sealant bottles will give a guide on how much to put in, but a general rule of thumb is for new tires add about 4oz, and for a refresh add roughly 2oz. After adding sealant, use your air compressor or pump to blow some air through the open valve stem to clear out any sealant on the inside of the valve. This will keep the core from getting junked up when you replace it. Then, do just that. Put the core back in, inflate the tire to 25-30psi, and give it a good spin to get the sealant moving around. The best thing to do after adding new sealant is to go for a ride! Sloshing the sealant around will fill any small holes and you should be good to go!
Tire sealant should be replenished every 3-4 months to ensure that there is enough in your tire to stop a leak.
New Parts:
Grips, tires, cables, saddles, etc. are all parts that wear and tear over the life of your bike. Give them a look over and ensure they are in good working order. Grips and tires often get overlooked, “I just replaced those” well, that was actually a year ago now and they are looking pretty sad. The good news is grips are inexpensive and a nice way to make your bike feel fresh.
Tires are one of the most important components on your entire bike. Good rubber can make a huge difference in cornering, descending, climbing, overall grip, and flat prevention. When buying new tires consider the terrain you are going to ride this summer. If you are only planning on riding at the bike park, get something a bit heavier with a thicker casing. More into xc riding? Try something lighter and faster rolling. All around trail riding? There are some great options for that too. If you are content with your current setup, buy the same pairing again, but the start of a new season is also a great time to try a new combination and see how you like it. Remember, the front tire is where you want the most grip, the rear tire is generally the faster-rolling one.
At this point, most of what you’ve done is fairly basic and you should be in pretty good shape. Your bike is clean, all bolts are torqued to spec., and your tires are full of fresh sealant. If it shifts properly, and your brakes work then it is time to go for a ride. However, there are other issues that could pop up. As mentioned earlier, your brake rotors have the potential to rub on the brake pads. Luckily that is a pretty easy fix.
How to align your brake caliper:
Brake caliper alignment can be a quick and simple fix, or a small headache. The quick solution is to loosen both bolts that hold the caliper to the bike just far enough so you can wiggle the caliper back and forth with your hand, but do not remove the bolts all the way. Next, grab the brake lever on your handlebars and squeeze. In theory, this will center your caliper on the brake rotor so all you have to do, while still holding on to the brake lever, is tighten the bolts back down. Give the wheel a spin and listen for any sounds of rubbing. If the wheel spins freely without contacting the brake pads, you’re good to go. If you hear any noises or see that the rotor is coming in contact with the pads, then it gets a bit more tedious, and you will have to realign the caliper by hand. Break the bolts again, and while looking through the caliper from back to front, manually align it so neither brake pad is touching the rotor. Tighten the bolts back down and give the wheel another spin. If it spins freely, you’re done. If you still hear a rubbing sound but it isn’t continuous (only lasting for part of your wheel’s rotation) then it is likely that your rotor is a bit bent. Not a huge deal if the wheel still spins, brake rotors out of alignment by only a few millimeters will not have much of an effect on braking power, but if the wheel comes to an abrupt stop or is hard to spin then more maintenance might be required. Rotors can be bent back into true, but unless you are experienced with this fix, it is best to bring it to a professional and let them resolve it for you. Brakes are important, make sure they are working properly before sending it down the bike park.
Shifting Issues:
Poor shifting can be due to a number of reasons, some are easy fixes, but others might require professional help. The first thing to check, as mentioned in the “Bolt Check” section, is to take a look at your derailleur hanger. The hanger is a little piece of aluminum that attaches your derailleur to the frame of your bike. Hangers are easily bent and broken, by design, to save the more expensive parts like your derailleur and your bike frame. As a result, the hanger should be the first thing to look for when you notice poor shifting. Check to see that both bolts, the hanger to the frame and the derailleur to the hanger, are snug. If loose, tighten them and try to shift again. If the issue persists, see if the hanger is bent in any way. A small bend can be corrected by simply bending it back to straight but a large bend or crack will likely require a new hanger. Replacement hangers can be found by going to your bike manufacturer’s website or using a site such as derailleurhanger.com. Also, keep in mind that if you do bend your hanger back to straight, it will be more likely to break in the future. It is always a good idea to have a spare on hand.
If the hanger isn’t the issue, then move on to the shift cable. Shifting on a bike is controlled by tension. The shift cable runs from the shifter on your handlebars to the derailleur. When shifting up the cassette (into an easier pedaling gear) you are adding tension on the cable, pulling the derailleur (and the chain), up the cassette into each gear. When shifting down (into a harder pedaling gear), the opposite happens and tension is released, moving the derailleur and chain, down the cassette. Most mountain bikes have a barrel adjuster at the shifter whose function is to add or release a little bit of tension on the cable. Turning the barrel adjuster counter-clockwise will add tension while clockwise will release. So, if you are struggling to shift up the cassette (easier gear) add some tension, conversely, release tension if you are struggling to shift down (harder gear). Go slow and adjust by half-turns at a time, then try your shifting again.
If neither of these solutions fix the issue, then it might be time to take it to a professional bike mechanic. Gravity Sports Shop has professional techs on standby, ready to diagnose and fix all your shifting woes.
Other Things to Consider:
Other than the above-listed maintenance, mountain bikes have many more parts to be aware of and ensure they are in proper working order. Here is a quick list of other projects that you should consider talking to a bike mechanic about when you bring your bike into the shop.
- Suspension Service
- Wheel/Spoke Tensioning
- Brake Bleed
- Re-greasing bearings (especially the pivot points for the rear triangle of a full suspension bike)
- Re-greasing wheel hubs
Mt. Bachelor's Gravity Sports Shop will open on June 27th with trained mechanics ready to get your bike ready for the bike park season!