from our partners
Whether you are your competitive rider, weekend warrior, city traveller, or even just a casual fun day rider, sending your bike in for a bike service is essential in maintaining the components and keeping your bike in good shape. Certain components such as the chain always need to be cleaned because a lot of dust and muck get stuck on it and slows you down over time, however a common mistake with beginners is that even though they clean the chain, they forget to also lube their chain. Just like a car, your bike needs to be cleaned and maintained. But this is just one part of the big picture of maintenance.
A professional bike service includes many aspects of cleaning, adjusting, lubing, and sometimes even replacing certain parts. Just to name a few, there is a diagnostic for the chain and drivetrain, wheel and tyres, brakes, fork and suspension, touchpoints, frame and headset…. there is also the lockout and linkage service, as well as the headset and torque service. These are a basic run down of what most bike services include, and of course cleaning the bike should be standard. So next time you are servicing your bike on your own or take it to a shop, make sure to check that you cover these components.
What will happen if you don’t service your bike? Well, quite a few things can go wrong actually. Your drivetrain wears out faster, your chain, cassette and chainring constantly grind against each other. Bearings can start to fail, your hubs, bottom bracket, headset and suspension pivots all rely on smooth bearings. Brakes become unsafe, brake pads wear down over time. Small problems become big ones, a bolt can come loose, you could have a bent derailleur, cables start to fray, Suspension performance start to drop, and overall your bike will just feel slower, which ultimately makes it a less comfortable and less enjoyable ride.
