Quick tips on bike maintenance

23.01.2024

There’s no way around it: Bikes need maintenance from time to time. Although keeping your bike oiled up and clean is a crucial factor in ensuring the longevity of your bike, the constant maintenance can feel like a hassle. However, appreciating the necessary maintenance and learning about the health of your bike can not only prolong its overall lifespan, but also enhance the joy of riding the bike. Here’s a couple of general tips on bike maintenance and how often to do it.

Oil your bike's chain

A good place to start when building a consistent bike maintenance routine is to keep your chain oiled. The chain consists of many links moving as you pedal. To ensure that your chain glides smoothly and keeps you moving forward, we recommend that you apply chain lube 1-2 times per week depending on the weather conditions. It is a good idea to clean the chain and the cassette before applying the chain lube to get rid of any dirt and grime that has built up to reduce the wear and tear of the chain and cassette. Any grit that has accumulated will wear down the metal of your chain. So, it is especially important to clean the chain before applying chain lube, since the lube will only hold on to the dirt.

Consider getting a bike with a belt drive to reduce the amount of maintenance required. Our urban commuter, Erik, and our folding bike, Siggi, features the Gates Carbon Belt Drive, which doesn’t require any oil. Just make sure the belt is clean.

Clean your bike

Speaking of cleaning your bike, a weekly cleanse to remove any dirt is recommended. In the rainy and snowy seasons, you will need to clean your bike more often. The same goes the if you ride every day or take longer trips. The more often you clean your bike, the longer the various parts will last before they need replacement. It is important to only use cleaning solutions and products specifically made for cleaning bikes. This is particularly important when cleaning your brake discs. Further, be gentle when scrubbing down the frame of your bike, so that any small rocks don’t end up scratching the paint. It is also a good idea to routinely check your tyres for small rocks, scratches and holes.

Service

Some maintenance tasks require a certain set of tools and expertise. This is where your local bike mechanic can help you make sure that the bike is well-functioning and safe to ride. We recommend that you bring your bike in for a general check-up once every 3 months. Of course, if a certain part is faulty or you have a suspicion that something needs to be inspected, take your bike to the mechanic. Knowing whether anything is not functioning as intended can be difficult, but in general you should be aware of how your bike rides, the responsiveness of your brakes and listen for any unusual sounds.

Of course, if you own a Coh&Co-bike you can always drop by our showroom in Copenhagen and have our dedicated mechanic make sure that every part on your bike is working as intended.

Maintenance is rewarding

While many people probably view bike maintenance as a constant inconvenience, we at Coh&Co consider a proper maintenance routine to be a rewarding part of the healthy lifestyle of cycling. Making sure that your bike is clean and well-functioning provides a certain satisfaction. There are several fantastic benefits associated with maintenance. Your bike lasts longer meaning you save money and the occasional stress of finding the ideal bike for your needs is postponed. A consistent routine also enhances your overall riding experience, since it is just so much more enjoyable to ride a bike that works as intended. In general, prolonging the longevity of the products we use every day relieves the environment. Unfortunately, many bikes end up as trash too early because of improper care.