It can happen that you have a break from riding. Possibly the weather conditions aren’t right, or you’re convalescent from an injury. But even if you don’t have a break it’s still important to check your bike occasionally and tune it up, so that nothing important breaks or fails on you when you’re speeding down the road.
So here are things to check. Start with your chain. Chain links wear down as you ride with the result that the effective length increases, and as this happens, the chain doesn’t conform to the cog and teeth of the chain ring. If you haven’t replaced your chain in a year or more, it’s probably time to do it. Replace it before it stretches too much, you’ll save yourself from having to replace high priced cogs and chain rings.
Bearing surfaces: These include your bottom bracket, hubs, and the headset, which should each turn freely without a problem and with no play in the system. Before checking the bottom bracket, make sure each cranking arm is snugged tight. Then hold onto the crank arm (not the pedal) and wobble it back and forth. Any clicking noise, or if the crank arm binds, indicates that the bottom bracket should be adjusted .
Wheel hubs should be done the same way by taking the wheels off the bike, spinning the hub axles and feeling for any free play or binding. If you get this, then you need to make an adjustment.
To check the headset ( where the forks turn ) put the wheels back on the bike and then pull and push the handle bars back and forth, and there shouldn’t be any play. when you lift the front of the bike off the ground, the fork needs to turn really smoothly, and if not the headset needs to be replaced or fixed.
Check the condition of your brake cables and housings at the same time. You don’t want any cracks in the housing or rust cables and if that’s the case you need fix it, or your shifting and braking will be sluggish.
Brake pads. Most pads have ridges or indicator marks that show you when they need to be replaced. Brake pads that are worn out are a danger, because you can’t stop properly !
Once you’ve got the tune ups out of the way, it’s time for a bike workout, so have some fun!