Guides
Bike Maintenance Guides: Chain, Checkups and Cleaning
Chain, brakes, wheels and when to check each part.
Most expensive bike repairs start out cheap. A worn chain replaced in time costs a few dollars; leave it and it takes the cassette with it, and sometimes the chainrings too. Brake pads checked in time don't score the rotor. Maintaining a bike is mostly about checking the right things every so many miles.
These guides give you that schedule. We start with the part that wears fastest: when to replace your chain, how to measure chain stretch with a checker or a ruler, and which limit to use depending on how many speeds you have. Then comes a maintenance plan by mileage: what to check before every ride, every week, every 600 miles (1,000 km) and once a year, with checklists you can print or pin up in the garage.
The third guide gets straight to what people most often get wrong: cleaning and lubing your chain. Which product to use for your climate, how much lube to apply (less than you think) and the mistakes that shorten the life of your drivetrain.
If you save your bike in My Bike, you can keep its details and shop sheet there. When you replace the chain, the chain length calculator tells you how many links you need, and the spoke length calculator helps if you build or repair wheels.
Guides on this topic
When to Replace Your Bike Chain and How to Measure Chain Wear
Replace it when it has elongated 0.5% (11-13 speed) or 0.75% (5-10 speed). Over 24 links, that's 306.3 mm vs. 304.8 mm (12 in) for a new chain: a millimeter and a half decides whether you save your cassette.
Bike Maintenance Schedule by Miles: What to Check and When
Tire pressure and brakes before every ride; a clean, lubed chain every week; chain and brake pad wear every 300 miles (500 km); bolts and cables every 600 miles (1,000 km); and a full tune-up once a year or every 100 hours of suspension use.
How to Clean and Lube a Bike Chain Step by Step
Clean it before you lube it, put one drop on each roller, wait and wipe off the excess. Lube when the chain gets noisy or looks dry, and always after a wet ride. Grit mixed with oil is what wears a chain out.
How to Fix a Flat Bike Tire: New Tube, Patch or Tubeless Plug
On the road, the fastest and safest fix is to swap in a new tube and patch the punctured one at home. With tubeless, if the sealant won't seal, insert a plug and leave about 1/4 in (6 mm) sticking out; if the cut is big, put in a tube.
Bike Disc Brakes: Types, Pads, Rubbing and Bedding In
Replace pads when 0.5 mm of material is left (Shimano) or when pad and backing plate together measure 3 mm (SRAM). If the rotor rubs, loosen the caliper, squeeze the lever and retighten the bolts. After new pads or rotors, do about 20 bed-in stops.
How to Bleed Hydraulic Disc Brakes: When You Need To and How It's Done
Bleed your brakes when the lever feels spongy or pulls to the bar, and as routine maintenance: SRAM says at least once a year for DOT brakes and every two years for mineral oil. Use only the fluid your brake is built for: mineral oil and DOT never mix.
How to True a Bike Wheel: Lateral, Radial and Spoke Tension
Fix lateral wobble first and then radial hop, turning the nipples a quarter turn at a time. Park Tool targets 0.5 mm of lateral deviation and 1 mm radial. If the spokes on the bent side are already loose, the rim is bent and a spoke wrench won't fix it.
How to Clean a Bike Step by Step: Products, Order and Mistakes
Start with the drivetrain and degreaser, then wash the frame and wheels with warm water and mild soap, rinse top to bottom with low pressure, dry it and lube the chain. Skip the pressure washer: Shimano warns it forces water into components.
Save your bike once, use it everywhere
In My Bike you enter your measurements, wheels and drivetrain. From there we give you your tire pressure, saddle height, gearing and chain length, plus a shop sheet you can print.