you want to go on a bike ride but you've
not been outside on your bike in ages
perhaps because you've been riding an
indoor trainer or perhaps your bikes
just been gathering dust in the garage
your shed forever well now's the time to
get it out of quarantine so before you
take your bike outside here is an
essential rundown of checks that you
should do on it to make sure that it's
safe to ride and in tip-top condition
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first thing you should do is check your
tires now for this you're gonna need a
pump and if you only have space in your
life for one pump then a little one like
this is great because you can take it
with you when you go on your rides but
the downside is that a pump like this
can take loads of efforts to inflate
your tires so for at home a much better
thing is a big dedicated track pump they
don't cost the air it's important to
inflate your tires to the correct
pressure and if you're not sure what
that is and it's usually written on the
side of the tire and the reason for this
is that if they're not properly inflated
you stand a greater risk of getting
pinched punctures and we don't want that
you should also inspect the tire tread
run your fingers around them and see how
warm they are if they're really worn and
there's lots of big cuts in them there's
a greater risk of punctures and you may
need to replace them wheels check your
wheels are properly installed in the
bike if you have quick release skewers
or through axles check that these are
tightened properly and then that the
wheels can spring freely in the frame if
there's a slight wobble in the wheel as
you spin it then this can indicate that
the wheel is slightly bent and needs
truing don't worry if you don't know how
to do this yourself a bike shop can do
it for you and it's a relatively
inexpensive job brakes I mean I don't
need to explain why you need working
brakes do I well you should check your
brakes and when you depress them if they
feel spongy or the lever comes all the
way back into the handlebar they're
probably too loose and need tightening
now depending upon the type of brakes
you have whether that's hydraulic brakes
cable actuated brakes rim or disc we
have videos that can show you how to
adjust them if you need to we'll put
links in the description below
[Music]
check your chain is not seized or rusty
and that it's properly lubricated if it
needs some oil then apply some but if
it's really dirty and so is the rest of
your bike
the good thing to do is to use some
degreaser and a brush and give it a good
old clean she also check your bottom
bracket turn it and check that it moves
and it's not become seized and then also
wiggle it from side to side to check
there is no lateral movement or play in
the bearings you should check that all
the bolts on your bike are correctly
tightened and not loose and pay
particular attention to the headset the
stem and the handlebars if these are
loose your bike could be dangerous to
ride now to make sure that they're the
correct level of tightness then we'd
recommend using a torque wrench it's the
only tool for their job really the
specific torque that you need to tighten
each specific component to is usually
written in little writing on the side of
it you can check if your headset is
loose by turning your handlebars putting
on the front brake and then rocking your
bike forwards and backwards if there is
play in the headset you should be able
to see it if you need to fix that and
don't worry we've got a video link in
the description
you should check the seatpost isn't
loose - if you've not ridden your bike
for a while you're getting it ready for
someone else
they may have grown or shrunk so you may
need to adjust the saddle height just
make sure you don't extend the seat post
beyond its maximum limit finally you'll
want to check your gears run through
them and go all the way through the
cassette and check that they're changing
smoothly without skipping or jumping and
also you want to make sure that when you
move the rear derailleur all the way
across into your biggest cog at the back
your easiest gear then it doesn't move
the rear derailleur into the path of two
spokes on the rear wheel as this can
cause a crash and break your bike now if
you're gonna check your gears then we've
got a video you guessed it we'll put it
in a link in the description below that
can show you how to do that if you need
to do it and you want to use a bike
stand ideally but if you don't have a
bikes down like mine then you can turn
your bike upside down on a nice soft
surface that's not going to damage it
and do it that way or you can use your
body as a bike stand like this right
that's the main things I hope you found
this video useful and if you did and
please give us a like a follow all that
jazz you know the drill and enjoy your
ride and I'll see you next time bye
exactly I keep taking so long
oh god say gosh quick
if you use a little mini pump take so
much longer than using a track pump got
there in the end