Winter Bike Maintenance

We were lucky to be blessed with a white Christmas time that echoes that of popular songs and seasonal cards. While snow is a novelty, it can also be something of an annoyance to a seasoned cyclist. Snowfall isn’t traditionally considered ideal for a cyclist: thick, sludgy and threatening to your MTB or road bike parts, it pays to brush up on winter bike maintenance when winter weather comes back around. Bearings If you find your bike isn’t moving as freely after a stint out on snowy terrain, make sure you don’t skip out on any checks: inspect the derailleurs and the rollers in your chain, check your shifting and brake cables for corrosion (or a build-up of gunk), and of course, check your bearings. Bottom bracket bearings are susceptible to interferences such as grit, water and snow. If you’ve been enjoying the snow on a winter ride, you need to take care because the salt from the gritters and snow melt can damage these bearings. Clean off your bike to remove any debris from compromising your MTB/road bike parts - or if needed, replace your bearings altogether. Be Honest with Yourself When you take off your headset bearings to check for corrosion and give them a thorough clean with your allocated cloth, ensure you put them back in the right direction. Not to do so would be an amateur mistake! Don’t be afraid of admitting the dirt accumulation has gone too far and you are now in need of replacing them – our selection of bearings is far-ranging, high quality and sure to have the component you need. Seat Post Have you neglected your seat post? This winter is the time to check your seat post hasn’t got stuck in place. Take four simple steps: remove it, clean it, apply some grease and re-attach. Contact Our Team If you want to enquire about any of our gravel, MTB or road bike parts, including gravel bike bearings, or any of our other components, please contact us via our website.