Bike Maintenance Guide: What Your Bike Actually Needs (And What It Doesn't)

 

After 15 years in the cycling industry and countless bikes through my Cheshire workshop, I've learned that most cyclists fall into one of two camps: those who neglect their bikes until something breaks, and those who worry they're not doing enough. The truth? Your bike needs less than the industry wants you to think, but more than most riders actually give it.

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The Non-Negotiables: Essential Bike Maintenance

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Some things aren't optional, regardless of how much or how little you ride:

 

Chain maintenance is the foundation of everything. A clean, properly lubricated chain not only shifts better and lasts longer - it protects your cassette and chainrings from premature wear. Those components cost £50-200 to replace. A chain costs £20-40. Do the maths.

 

Brake checks are safety, plain and simple. Worn pads don't just reduce stopping power gradually - they can damage rotors or rims, turning a £15 pad replacement into a £100+ problem. I check brake pad wear at every service, but you should be glancing at them monthly.

 

Tyre pressure and condition matter more than most riders realise. Around here, I actually see more problems from over-inflation than under-inflation. Mid-Cheshire roads are rough, and rock-hard tyres at maximum pressure just bounce you around, slow you down, and beat you up. I'm often steering riders towards wider tyres with bigger volume - you can run lower pressure for more comfort, better grip, and ironically, they're often faster on real-world roads. Cracked sidewalls or worn tread aren't just inefficient - they're dangerous at speed or in wet conditions.

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The "It Depends" Category: When Bike Repairs Aren't Always Necessary

 

This is where mechanics either earn your trust or lose it.

 

Full drivetrain replacement isn't always necessary when your gears are noisy. Sometimes it's a simple derailleur adjustment or cable replacement. I've seen riders quoted £300 for parts they didn't need when a £35 cable set and 30 minutes would solve it.

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However, if you've ignored a worn chain for too long, that's when full drivetrain replacements become unavoidable. A stretched chain wears the cassette teeth and chainrings to match its worn pitch. Once that happens, fitting a fresh chain to worn components causes skipping under load - the new chain can't mesh properly with teeth that have been shaped by the old chain's wear. At that point, you're replacing chain, cassette, chainrings, and often jockey wheels too. What could have been a £30 chain becomes a £200-300 drivetrain overhaul. This is why I check chain wear at every service and why catching it early matters.

 

Bearing services depend entirely on mileage, conditions, and bearing quality. A commuter riding through British winter? Your hubs need attention annually. A fair-weather weekend rider? You might go years. I'll tell you what your bike actually needs based on what I find, not what maximises the invoice.

 

Professional wheel truing is essential when your wheel has a wobble that affects braking or rubs the frame. But minor imperfections that don't impact performance? Those can wait.

 

Here's something counter-intuitive: spokes don't usually break from being too tight. They break from being too loose or from unbalanced spoke tensions - areas of high and low tension around the wheel that create metal fatigue. I use precision tension meters to check and balance spoke tensions across the entire wheel, something most mechanics and workshops wouldn't consider. Proper spoke tensioning isn't just about a straight wheel - it's about longevity and preventing roadside failures.

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What Actually Saves You Money on Bike Servicing

 

The riders who spend least in my workshop over time are those who:

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• Clean and lube their chain regularly (every 100-200 miles in dry conditions, more often in wet)

• Check tyre pressure before rides

• Address small issues promptly rather than riding through problems

• Get an annual comprehensive service even if "nothing's wrong"

 

That last point surprises people. A £95 Standard Service catches wear before it becomes damage. Catching a chain at between 0.5-0.75% wear means replacing a £30 chain. Ignoring it until over 0.75% wear means replacing the chain AND often also  a  cassette.

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My Approach to Bike Servicing in Cheshire

 

When you bring your bike to Leadout Cycles, I'll tell you three things:

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1. What needs doing now for safety or to prevent damage

2. What's showing wear but can wait

3. What's fine and doesn't need touching

 

I'm ACT certified, Bosch eBike authorised, and Shimano STEPS trained - but more importantly, I'm a competitive cyclist myself. I know what matters because I ride, race, and maintain my own equipment to the same standards I apply to yours. Your bike doesn't need perfect. It needs safe, reliable, and appropriate for how you ride.

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Professional Bike Servicing in Whitegate, Cheshire

 

Based in Whitegate, serving cyclists across Mid-Cheshire. No pressure, no upselling - just straight answers from someone who genuinely cares about keeping you riding

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