How To Keep Your Bike Dialed

A mountain bike by its design is built to take a beating - they’re strong and powerful. If you ride a decent amount, you’re bound to end up in the shop every couple of weeks to have our local bike shoppers fine tune just a few things. The good news is you don’t always need to run your bike to the shop for simple quick tuning. You can do a lot of this on your own and save yourself time and money! Keeping you out of the shop and on the trail. 

Don’t let that intimidate you. You don’t have to be a mechanic or handyman to keep your bike in good shape. So let’s jump in and review a few small and simple things you can do to keep your bike out of the shop and on the trail.

 

DIY

1. Service Your Drive Train
The first thing you can service easily is your drive train. The limiter screws (see the video) decide how far the derailleur is going to go. 
2. Cable Tension
Next, is deciding on your cable tension. It’s important to have the right amount of tension so your gears shift properly.  Nothing is worse than waiting for your derailleur to do it’s job! You can adjust the cable tension using your barrel adjuster. 
3. Replace Tires
Make sure you have tire levers with you at all times! Definitely a must. These will help you remove the tire to change a patch or insert a tube. If you run tubeless, refill tubeless sealant as needed or every 3 - 6 months minimum depending on how frequently you ride. 

 

Service Stands

Let’s chat service stands. Many riders don’t even use a service stand to make adjustments. They service their bikes like our ancient ancestral riders - balancing it against their leg, on a tree, or between two wild boars if they were really feeling adventurous. But that’s not nearly as fun as using a service stand. If you’re in the market for a stand, there's a number of options out there and they’re all just about the same. To make it so our riders needed less equipment, we’ve added a service stand attachment to the TILT Balance Trainer. 

Check out the balance trainer/service stand combo and elevate your ride.