The most important thing you can do to ensure hassle free riding and extend the life of your bike and components is preemptive maintenance. This article is meant as a rough guide for the majority of Ride1Up owners. Since riding styles can vary greatly from person to person, you may need to adjust the schedule to fit your lifestyle. For example, commuters and those who ride frequently in foul weather; will need more frequent maintenance than those who only use the bike once per year on vacations. How fast parts wear out can be influenced by, rider weight, riding weather, frequency of rides along with other factors so if in doubt, its better to check out your bike sooner than later.
The links in the following chart are to illustrate what work needs to be done at what time and are not intended to completely train a rider on how to do the work. While Ride1Up does support riders working on their own bikes; those without the tools or skillset should seek professional assistance.
Maintenance Table
| Every Ride | Monthly/ 100 miles | Yearly/ 500 miles | |
| Check Tires | X | ||
| Check Brake Functionality | X | ||
| Check Handlebar Fasteners | X | ||
| Check Derailleur Hanger | X | ||
| Check Spokes | X | ||
| Check Pedals and Crank | X | ||
| Check Wheel Quick Release | X | ||
| Check Headset | X | ||
| Inspect Battery/ Charger port | X | ||
| True Wheels | X | ||
| Replace brake pads/ Rotors | X | ||
| Adjust Derailleur | X | ||
| Clean Drivetrain | X | ||
| Bleed Brakes/ Replace Cables | X | ||
| Replace Tires | X |
Bicycle maintenance, upgrading, and bike optimization can be as rewarding as the actual riding. There is a lot that one can learn on the subject and the following links can serve as a greater stepping stone down that path:
Books:
Park Big Blue Book- a classic that covers many aspects of bicycle repair. Written by industry legend Calvin Jones, feature of many Park videos, it is now in its fourth edition
Zinn & the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance- written by another industry celebrity this book is slightly older however has great documentation on many key systems. See also: Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance
The Haynes Bicycle Book- Anyone from the automotive industry is familiar with Haynes manuals. They provide tech documents for all makes and models. This book follows the same format but for bicycles.
Videos:
Global Cycling Network- A YouTube channel sponsored by large bike brands. They often present mechanical skills in a fun and easy to follow way. Their videos often cover topics at a surface level, easily digestible for mainstream viewers.
Park Tool Company- The US tool maker Park also has a wide range of articles and videos on how to work on bikes. The quality of the information and presentation is rarely matched outside of professional bicycle schools.
