A mountain bike is a practical and versatile form of transportation that can take you anywhere, from blazing along a mountain path to commuting to and from the city for work or school. In many ways your bike has the same needs as a car, requiring regular maintenance to operate smoothly and not conk out on you when you need it most. Of course you don’t need to worry about oil changes, but there are some maintenance issues that you or someone you hire should tend to.

Keeping the tires filled with air is the simplest maintenance task that needs to be done regularly. The outer part of the mountain bike tire isn’t filled with air – in fact, it may not be airtight. Instead, it protects the inner tube (that is airtight) from coming into contact with the wheel rim of the bike. Tires that aren’t filled properly will give your ride an unwanted bounce and force you to pedal harder to move. When your tires are inflated as they should be, you can direct your energy on efficient forward movement. Over-inflating your tires can make for a rough ride, too, as the wheels are too rigid to absorb small shocks and you’ll get a jolt from every bump and crack in the road. And if you fill your tires too full of air, they may just pop like balloons!

Other items on your maintenance list should be keeping your bike chain oiled, ensuring your gears are aligned, and checking to be certain your brakes are working correctly. If you do these things, you can help your bike last as long as possible and keep yourself safe. Your brakes must be able to respond instantly to any road emergencies that may arise, so that you won’t be injured in an accident. If you don’t know how to do any of these maintenance tasks yet, ask someone to help you or enroll in a bicycle maintenance course. If you’re simply too busy to do these jobs, you can find a bike shop in your area to take care of the work.

photo credit: richardmasoner