Spring is here - the blossom is on the trees, the birds are singing and across the country people are bringing their summer bikes out of hibernation. I know, because, as a mechanic, I’m now anticipating the annual servicing wave that follows the early season sunshine, whereby bikes that have been stowed away find themselves back on the road (or trails), and sometimes - unfortunately - malfunctioning very soon after.
The change in the seasons is a perfect impetus to dedicating a little time to preparing your bike for the months to come, this will not only ensure you get the best from your machine, but it should also save on potentially expensive repairs at a later date.
Whether you have a dedicated summer bike or you use the same bike all year round, here’s eight things you can do to get your bike ready for the fairer weather...
Service all your bearings
Keeping the bearings in your bottom bracket, hubs and headset running smoothly will pay dividends in performance and longevity. If you fit fresh grease at this point of the season, there’s a very high chance that it won’t need doing again until the winter, so it’s worth doing right now.
If you have the know-how, you can do this yourself. If not, book your bike in for a service.
If you’re performing the job yourself, the important thing to check - especially with the hubs - is that you have popped the seals off the bearing, and regreased the bearings themselves.
If you want to get really nerdy, it’s possible to fit a thinner summer grease which creates less friction and therefore allows the bearing to spin more freely, but beware, because the bearings will not tolerate neglect or bad weather conditions - for this reason I’d still recommend fitting a nice thick grease on the outside of the bearing to act as a barrier.
Ditch the mudguards/fenders
I'm a huge fan of mudguards/fenders over the winter months. They not only keep you dry, but they save your components from being exfoliated by mud and grit from the road.
However, once the clocks spring forward, it’s time to take the guards off and let your tyres feel the breeze once again. This is a super simple job, which you can do at home. If the weather looks questionable over the coming weeks, keep the rear one ready for those last few mixed condition rides.
Fit summer wheels and tyres
Cycling tradition dictates that riders have a 'summer best' bike, and a 'winter hack' for the colder, wetter months. Typically, the 'winter hack' would feature a metal frame, cheaper components, mudguards, and sturdy tyres suitable for wet roads. With modern trends favouring disc brakes and wide tyres, many cyclists now tend to stick to the same bike, year round.
If you don’t have the luxury of a dedicated summer bike, then a set of summer wheels will transform your ride. Deeper section carbon wheels will be stiffer and more aerodynamic than your alloy winter wheels, meaning your average speed will improve. Upgrading to a set of the best road cycling wheels can also boost your confidence, through improved handling, especially when matched with the correct tyres.
Speaking of tyres, it’s finally time to go for that race inspired rubber and gain those few extra watts for free!
Tyres are a trade off between grip in the corners, rolling resistance and puncture protection. Your winter tyres will sacrifice a small amount of rolling resistance to improve grip, and the puncture protection often stiffens the tyre up so it feels a little laboured. With a good summer tyre the carcass carries a little less protection and is therefore supple and responsive - it will have a softer compound on the side of the tyre for cornering and a harder compound in the centre for good rolling resistance.
For the summer, I would thoroughly recommend going tubeless as it simply improves all functions of the tyre in terms of performance.
Fit some fresh tape (and check for corrosion)
If you’ve been using your bike on the turbo trainer, there can be untold dangers underneath that bar tape as sweat can lead to corrosion. It’s well worth double checking that your handlebars are in good shape, especially if you’ve spent a lot of time on the indoor trainer over winter.
Regardless how you logged the winter miles, your bar tape will likely be sweaty from the trainer, grubby from those winter miles, or looking lackluster from being stowed away - so it’s time to grab something new. Wrapping bar tape is a really rewarding job to learn to do yourself, especially if you can make a neat job of it - buy a couple of different tapes and practice.
Choose your bar tape wisely - thick, cushioned tape can feel comfortable, but dull the ride. Thin, tacky tape will provide excellent grip, but may not buffer out the road buzz.
Degrease your drivetrain and fit some light dry lube, or, try wax
Firstly - buy yourself a chain checker and replace the chain if necessary - this will help you avoid wearing out your costly chainrings and cassette. Assuming your chain has plenty of life in it, or is new, we can move on to ensuring the system is squeaky clean.
Even if you’ve been keeping on top of washing your bike through the winter, the dirt builds up over time, so put some time in the diary for a full deep clean and degrease.
Use a powerful degreaser to completely strip the chain, but be careful of getting this in any hub or bottom bracket bearings. Wash the degreaser off within minutes of applying it, and then fully dry all the components out before applying a nice light dry lube for the better weather. If you’re interested in trying wax - which will last longer - now is a great time to get started, as wax needs to be applied to a perfectly clean chain.
Bleed your brakes and check your pads
If you’ve been using your bike through the winter - or if your dedicated summer has been in hibernation - it’s definitely worth bleeding your brakes. Book them in with your local mechanic or purchase a bleed kit, and learn to do it yourself.
Mineral oil gets dirty quickly and DOT fluid absorbs water, both leading to spongy brakes if not well maintained - so now's the perfect time to service your brakes and enjoy a worry-free summer. Also pay attention to which brake pad compound you’re using, as a quieter organic compound is now the best option in most cases - they absorb more of the braking force, meaning that the pad doesn't reverberate (or squeal) - the downside is that they don't last long in the wet/winter.
Give yourself a target!
Once your bike is fully blinged out for the summer, don’t forget to give yourself (and the bike) a target to train for. Whilst this isn’t exactly mechanically related, a new race, sportive or goal will push you to get out and use your bike more. And the best part about this one is that you can do it for free - all you need is a little time!
Get some mates together and plan to keep each other accountable, with a bit of social time added in for good measure. Pay attention to any new bling appearing on their bikes, too - and find a way to out-bling them!
