Get your bike ready for spring
It's finally here! The weather is getting nicer by the day and you're itching to get back outside on your bike. If it's been a while, here are a few things you might want to check before setting off:
Check your tires for wear especially if it's been used on a trainer. Wheel-on trainers will quickly eat through rear tires, leaving a flat spot down the middle. A lot of tires come with wear indicators in the form of intentional divots, or tap holes, in the tire. When you no longer see the divot, it's time to replace the tire. If your front tire was in a riser block, inspect the sidewalls to ensure they didn't wear away from any rubbing.
Be sure to top up your sealant levels if you run tubeless tires. Dry NYC apartments can cause sealant to evaporate quickly!
Still a bit of life left
Check your disc / rim brake pads and see if they need to be replaced. Rim brake pads often have a wear line that indicates when they need replacing. Check with your disc brake pad manufacturer to see how thick the pad material must be before replacing.
Check disc rotor width. Rotors wear out over time though thankfully not as quickly as the pads. Some rotors have the minimum thickness printed on them while others require you to hunt down that information somewhere on their website. If you need to replace your rotors you should also replace your brake pads for prolonged rotor lifetime and an easier time bedding in the new rotors.
Make sure all your bolts are still tight. If you have a torque wrench, the best thing to do is loosen and then tighten the bolts to spec. This prevents the bolts from seizing and protects against over tightening. Be especially mindful of your stem and saddle bolts.
Check your metal components for corrosion. Bolts and aluminum bars can corrode after repeated exposure to sweat. If you spent time riding your bike indoors you may want to unwrap some bar tape to check for corrosion around your shifters.
Check your chain has not stretched past its allowable amount. Chain wear checkers such as Park Tool's CC3.2 are pretty cheap and will quickly tell you if your chain needs replacing. If your chain is very worn you may need to replace your cassette and chainrings as well.
Check your battery levels in power meters and other electronics on your bike such as Di2 and lights.
Lube your drivetrain, pump up your tires and you're ready to go!
