Maintenance and Preparation

How do I prepare my bike for a long trip?

Especially on longer trips, it is advisable to take another look at your bike before departure and check the most important wearing parts again.

Before you set off, check the following:

• chain tension
• Tires & Rims
• wheel hub
• screws
• Tool
• brakes
• circuit

 

Chain & Chain tension

Every chain is subject to natural wear and tear and should be checked regularly. There are special tools for this purpose that can be used to measure whether the chain still has enough tension. A simple trick is to simply take a close look at the chain and see whether the individual links are worn.

 

Tires & Rims

The topic of tires is extensive and is covered in detail in our guides.
In general, it is important to distinguish whether you are riding tubeless or with a bicycle tube.

 

General Inspection

Does the tire show obvious damage to the tread or carcass?
If the tread is too worn or the rubber is cracked, you should replace the tire before traveling.

 

tubeless tires

Here are a few points to pay attention to:

• Is the tire sealed or is it losing sealant ?
• Are the valves tight, tightened and properly seated in the rim?
• Is the rim tape, if present, still in good condition?

 

tubular tires

The biggest difference is of course the hose itself.
If the hose loses air, it is of course recommended to replace it.

In both cases, it is advisable to take a spare tube with you. There are ultra-light latex tubes that hardly weigh anything.

 

wheel hubs

Some wheel hubs can be opened, cleaned and lubricated.
DT Swiss, for example, recommends cleaning the wheel hub every 6-8 weeks.

 

Screws

In general, it is advisable to check your multi-tool and see if all the screws on the bike are compatible with it.
A quick retightening of the most important screws with the correct torque does no harm.

 

Tool

A multi-tool and a tire repair kit don't weigh much and can save the day. As described above, you should check that the tool contains all the necessary tools and sometimes it is even better to take the most important Allen keys instead of the multi-tool.
If everything goes wrong, there is usually a bike shop or a friend who can help with tools.

 

Brakes

Anyone who has ever spent a whole day on the road, fought their way up an endless mountain and then found themselves in front of a single trail with worn-out brake pads and had to weigh up whether to take the forest road back downhill instead, knows how important it is to take a second pair of brake pads with you. Firstly, they don't cost much and don't take up much space. Before you start, you should check whether the front and rear brakes need the same or different brake pads. Most XC hardtails and some gravel bikes use smaller disc brakes at the rear for weight reasons.

 

Rear Derailleur

It's definitely not a bad idea to adjust the gears yourself or have them done at a bike shop before a long trip. Hearing a cracking noise in the gears after 500km can drive you crazy. So you should do yourself a favor and just adjust it. Tutorials on the internet or having a bike shop explain how it works will make further maintenance easier.