The Importance of Regular Mountain Bike Maintenance & What That Entails

Let me tell you a little story: as the 2019 season was winding down at Mammoth Bike Park, I was feeling strong, fast, and dialed. My bike (a 2017 Devinci Troy) was feeling awesome and snappy and I was stomping most features on the park with confidence and ease. Life was good! I knew that this would be the last season for me and my Troy because I had thoroughly put it through the wringer (with not much maintenance), but I was holding off on selling it just a little bit longer so that I could finish the season.

Fast forward a few weeks and here’s what happened within the span of a few days:

Day 1: I took a little tumble down a steep chute and bent my right crank. It’s not easy to do that, but I managed it. New cranks.

Day 3: I had another crash – thanks to a nasty root ball in the middle of the trail – and scourged my front rim. There was no hope for repair. The upside? My tire was fine.

Day 5: I sailed off a little drop and boom! My rear shock hardware exploded. After a bit of investigation, it turned out that my rear shock axle bolt was loose and allowed the axle to back out of the nut. No bueno.

Day 6: I ordered a brand new 2020 Santa Cruz Bronson (with the resolve to take much better care of it)

That was an expensive week.

To be fair, the only casualty that was directly associated with the lack of regular mountain bike maintenance was the shock explosion. However, I feel like if I had done a better job at maintaining other parts – like the front shock, brakes, tire sealant levels, etc… I wouldn’t have had such an epically dramatic final week with my Troy. A poorly maintained mountain bike can be dangerous for not only yourself but other riders as well!

So, if you’re new to regular mountain bike maintenance – like me – here’s a little guide on how to take care of it.

It’s also a really good idea to keep a log of everything you do to your bike. That way you can easily reference the last time you serviced your fork or had to swap out brake pads. And when you go to sell your bike you can provide proof that your mighty stead was well taken care of.

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Mountain Bike Maintenace to do after Every Couple of Rides:

1. Check Bolts and Pivots

Check bolts and pivots after every couple of rides, especially if you take your bike on rocky, rooty terrain or drive down washboard roads. Bolts and pivots come loose every so often even if they have loctite on them! I probably wouldn’t have blown out my rear shock cap if I had checked my rear bolt hardware more frequently. You’ll need a good multi-tool with a range of Allen wrenches. These are just a few bolts and pivots to check:

• Rocker arm pivots

• Headset

• Stem plate

• Rear shock bolts

• Seat post

2. Lube Chain

Chains need to be lubed after every couple of rides. If you’re hearing an aggravating squeak or grinding sound coming from your drivetrain, you probably need to lube your chain. I put fresh lube on after every ride (or two) because I live and ride in a very dry, dusty part of California. Use dry lube for dry conditions and wet lube for wet conditions.

3. Wash/clean bike

Bikes get dirty! That’s part of the fun of riding. While you don’t need to fully wash your bike after every ride, it is a good idea to keep a few important pieces clean and grit-free.

After every ride, it’s a good idea to:

• Wipe down front and rear stanchions

• Wipe dropper post

• Wipe chain

• Clean grime off of derailleur jockey wheels

However, don’t spray water directly onto your bike. High-pressure spray can force water into the pivots and seals of your bike (especially if they haven’t been greased recently) and that’s like spraying away all the cartilage in your knees.

Pro tip- clean suspension seals/stanchions with Maxima SC1 after every few rides and seals will last a long time. Lots of pro mechanics and tuners use it!

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Mountain Bike Maintenance to do Every Few Months:

1. Top up Tire sealant

If you run tubeless tires – which most mountain bikers do these days – new sealant needs to be added every so often to ensure that there’s enough liquid within the tire to seal small holes and punctures. If you ride a lot and replace your tires every few months you probably won’t need to top off but if you ride less frequently it’s good to check sealant levels every 1-2 months.

An easy way to check if sealant is fresh is to dip a zip tie down the valve stem as a “dip stick”. If there’s minimal sealant on the end of the zip tie you should add a few ounces of fresh sealant.

When bikes sit for a long time the sealant gets bored and forms itself into a Stanimal like this guy to the right.

2. Replace tires

Tire tread wears down quickly, especially if you ride frequently and brake often. I’m always shocked (and annoyed… bike tires are expensive) how fast my tread wears down especially on the rear. If you ride with worn tires you run the risk of popping or puncturing them more easily as well as sliding out around corners or losing traction on steep pitches.

How do you know if you need new tires? If you can easily bend the side knobs and the middle tread is considerably worn, it’s time for a new tire.

3. Bleed Brakes and change brake pads

Brakes need to be ‘bled’ every couple of months depending on how often you ride. If your brakes feel ‘soft’ or ‘squishy’ and you still have plenty of life left in your pads then it’s probably time for a bleed. Bleeding brakes essentially means adding fresh fluid to the lines and removing any air bubbles that cause that ‘soft’ or ‘squishy’ feeling.

If you do a lot of DH riding you will probably definitely need to bleed your brakes more often. It’s actually a pretty straightforward process and I highly recommend doing it yourself to save $$$ at the bike shop. You’ll need a bleed kit and either mineral oil (Shimano) or dot fluid (Sram).

In addition to bleeding brakes, you also need to keep an eye on brake pad wear. If it looks like the pads are getting down to the metal part, it’s time to replace them!

3. check chain wear

Chains – like tires and brake pads – also need to be replaced every couple of months depending on how frequently you ride. A worn chain can result in poor shifting and unnecessary wear to cogs as well as broken links which are sooo annoying to fix on the trail. Invest in a chain tool that measures chain wear and replace it when it reaches ~75% wear.

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Mountain Bike Maintenance to do Every 50-100 Hours Of Ride Time:

1. Service Suspension

Both front and rear suspension need regular service after so many hours of riding to keep damping performance and small bump sensitivity in top-notch condition. Guidelines differ for each shock and manufacturer, so be sure to refer to your service manuals (easily found online with a quick search). Below is an example of a RockShox front fork recommended service interval. If you use Strava, that’s a great way to determine how much riding time you’ve put into your shocks and bike.

Most mountain bike maintenance service manuals (like this one, for example) also goes into detail about how to service your shocks yourself if you’re into that kind of thing. It’s not as scary as it sounds!

You can also send your shocks in to be serviced. Dirt Labs is a popular option and their turnaround time is very reasonable.

2. Service Dropper post

Just like shocks and suspension, dropper posts need to be serviced to keep them droppin’ smoothly. If you notice that your seat is a bit loose or your dropper isn’t rising/lowering all the way it’s probably time for a service. Bike shops can do it for you or Dirt Labs also does dropper post servicing as well.

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I hope this post has helped inspire you to take better care of your mountain bike than I did my Devinci Troy! It is a really, really good practice to get into the habit of doing regular mountain bike maintenance. Your future self (and bike) will thank you!

Do you have a regular mountain bike maintenance routine? What does it look like? Leave a comment below!