The Top 5 Bike Maintenance Skills Every Cyclist Should Know

Psyched to take advantage of the crisp air with a bike ride? Before hitting the streets, make sure every bit of that faithful steed is prepped and ready to go. You may not need to be ready for the Tour de France at any moment — but your trusty beater still needs to function.

Tools of the trade: What do you need to fix a bike?

First off, every cyclist should own a basic toolkit to deal with possible mid-ride breakdowns. These should include:

a bike tire pump with a built-in pressure gauge
torque and regular wrenches
tire levers
spare inner tubes
a tire patch kit
a chain tool (with a few extra links)
lubricant

This might seem like an imposing lineup to take around with you, but fear not — miniature, portable bike repair kits are available for purchase online.

We’ve got the 411 on bike repair to have you road-ready without paying for expensive bike mechanic services. A regular tune-up keeps bicycles safe, steady, and trouble-free. Imagine the places you’ll go.

If and when something goes wrong (as it inevitably will — no bike is indestructible), be sure to always start with a scrub down. Trying to tighten bolts on a muddy or wet frame is a recipe for frustration. So make sure everything’s clean, shiny, and dry before getting the wrenches out.

Not sure where to start? For inexperienced cyclists, fixing a bike at home (or out on the road) can seem like an uphill struggle (pun fully intended). Here is our guide to the top five most common bike repairs.

1. Fix a flat

Droopy wheels? Check the tire pressure before looking for holes. To make sure the tires are inflated correctly, find the intended air pressure range for each tire. This is usually printed on the smooth side of the tire (not the treads).

Use a bike pump with a built-in tire pressure gauge to find the sweet spot. And unless exploding tires sounds like a fun time, avoid gas station air pumps, which are very powerful and can easily blow out smaller bicycle wheels.

Dealing with punctures

If the tires start sagging right away, it’s time to deal with a puncture. It’s a good idea to always travel with a spare inner tube, just in case.

Here’s a six-step guide to reclaiming bouncy bike wheels:

Most road bikes have a bicycle wheel quick release, which makes it easy to pop a wheel out of the frame without any tools. Open the lever, remove the wheel, and let the remaining air out of the tire by opening the valve. Then, push the metal valve up into the tire, so it doesn’t stick out on the inside of the tire.
Next, wedge two or three tire levers under the edge of the tire until it pops out of the wheel rim. No levers? No problem. Removing a tire without tools just requires dexterous thumbs and a bit of elbow grease.
Take out the inner tube, being sure to lift the tube over the valve. This is a good time to find the hole — a piece of rock, glass, or tree branch sticking out of the tire is usually a good clue. Just be careful when removing sharp objects — anything that cuts a tire can easily cut a finger, too.
Take the new inner tube and inflate it about halfway, so it has some shape. Reverse the process by sliding the inner tube into the outer tire.
Again, use those thumbs to stick the tire edge back into the rim. Use a bike tire pump to reinflate the whole shebang to the correct pressure.
Don’t forget to shut the quick release valve. And that’s all, folks! Time to roll on.

Note: If you’re unlucky or just unprepared and don’t have a spare inner tube, a patch is the way to go. The process is pretty similar, but instead of grabbing a new tube find the hole by gently inflating the inner tube, slap on a patch, and stick the repaired tube back into the tire.

Sometimes, patches don’t stick well to high-pressure road bike tires, so this is definitely a short-term solution for a tire puncture.

Total money saved: Up to $15. Inner tubes cost around $10, while a patch kit will set you back roughly $5. Mechanics charge for the materials, plus about $20 for labor.

2. Reattach a slipped chain

A slipped chain can turn a pleasant jaunt into a ride from hell. But putting the chain back on is pretty simple and requires no tools at all.

Here’s what to do:

Usually when a chain falls off, it falls out of the rear cogset or the front chainring (part of the crank). Place the chain back in the bottom groove in the rear cog first.
When the chain is attached to the cog, drape the chain over the teeth on the top of the front chainring.
The last step is to reestablish the connection between the rear cogset and front chainring. Once the chain is in the right place, slowly turn the pedal forward, which will pull the chain around the entire chainring and back to the cogset.

If the chain keeps falling off, it’s probably too long for the bike frame. To remove extra chain links, or to fix a broken chain, check out these further instructions:

Get rid of the broken links using a chain tool. Put the pin through the broken link and clamp down until the chain breaks apart. Make sure the pin is still partway through the link because it’s tricky as heck to reinsert a pin that has been totally removed.
Remove the broken links.
If spare links are available, this is when they come into the picture. Attach the new links to the chain, using the chain tool to push the pin into the links.
Make sure the chain has one “female” end and one “male” end so it can seamlessly link together again.
Lacking links? For a short-term solution, it’s OK to just remove the busted chain and link the remaining ends together. This will shorten the chain, which affects the quality of the ride and also puts stress on the derailleur over time.
Thread the chain back over the crank set and through the derailleur with the end of the pin sticking toward the outside of the bike.
Use the chain tool to push the pin back through both parts of the chain and then use your hands to loosen up the new connection.

Total money saved: $15 to $40. A very basic chain tool goes for $15, though more expensive models can run you $100 and up. Many bike shops will replace a slipped or broken chain with a new one, which can get pricey. Even if the tune-up just reattaches the old chain, expect to pony up for the cost of labor.

3. Tighten up loose bolts

Bicycles are held together entirely by nuts and bolts, so before heading out on a two-wheeled jaunt, make sure all hardware is secure — but not too tight.

The main problem areas are the handlebars, stem, and seat post, where pressure and friction can loosen bolts. Overtightening can round the bolts and ruin the threads on the bike, making for a pricey repair job. Instead, invest in a torque wrench, which is super accurate and takes the guesswork out of tuning.

These wrenches have measurements so the user can control the amount of force applied. Check the bike’s manual for information about bolt tightening and then attach everything correctly the first time. Once the bolts are torqued, leave them alone!

There’s no need to re-tighten bolts on every ride, or even every week — just keep an eye (and an ear) out for loose or rattling parts.

Total money saved: At least $10. A torque wrench is an investment — the cheapest models go for around $30. It costs around $20 a pop to replace stripped nuts and rounded bolts. And, well, the math doesn’t lie.

4. Loosen a stuck seat

As everyone who has ever had a hand-me-down bike knows, there’s nothing worse than dealing with a stuck seat that is too high or too low.

The first step is to loosen the binder all the way and remove the collar and bolt. Soak the whole problem area with WD-40 and leave it alone overnight to allow the spray to work its magic. If the seat still won’t budge, grip the saddle and try to twist the post free.

If it’s still stuck, get a clamp and some pliers and start twisting and pulling the pieces apart.

Want to avoid this problem altogether? Try the following:

To prevent a sticky situation, keep the post and tube clean and well greased.
Mark the right height on the post with electrical tape.
Remove it from the tube.
Wipe down the post and tube with a clean rag, then slather some grease in the tube and on the post.
Put everything back together.

Total money saved: $15. The materials for this quick fix (wrenches, WD-40, and pliers) cost around $10 each, and many people already have them on hand.

5. Wrap drop handlebars

After a season of cycling adventures in rain, mud, and sleet, a road bike’s handlebars can get gummy, stinky, and worn out, making for an unpleasant cycling experience.

Luckily, rewrapping the handlebars in fresh new tape is a breeze. Start by peeling off that nasty old tape, using scissors if it gets stuck. Most tape kits come with two extra scraps of tape — stick those under both brake levers so there’s no gap between the brake apparatus and the handlebar.

Take the tape and start on the bottom of the handlebar’s dropped end, with the edge of the tape on the underside. Wrap up and over the top of the handlebar tightly and smoothly in a clockwise direction. Be sure to overlap the edges as you go so there are no spaces in the wrapping.

When you get to the brake levers, flip the plastic covers up and wrap carefully around the handlebar — because the tape scraps are already on that part of the bike, there should be no gap in the tape.

Cut off the tape when one side is covered in tape to the center point of the handlebars and secure the edge by wrapping it once or twice around with electrical tape.

Repeat the process on the other side and hit the road!

Total money saved: $5 to $10. The cost will vary depending on the brand and style of handlebar tape, but a mechanic will usually charge around $20 for the work.

Takeaway

Still confused? Find a professional if these common solutions don’t do the trick or if you’re dealing with a specific problem. A good bike shop has the right equipment and knowledgeable mechanics to solve more complicated conundrums.

Repairing a bicycle at home sounds scary, but it’s easy to fix most common problems with just a few tools. With these easy bike repairs, every cyclist can spend more time out of the garage and in the fast lane.