Online Bike, Running and Outdoor Store

Checking your bike's safety points


Like any mechanism, your bike occasionally needs a few basic checks to guarantee you the best performance. We will only address the controls here. Even if you are a novice in mechanics, these inspections are accessible to all and will alert you if you need to go to your mechanic to correct a problem. Indeed, a problem can be embarrassing at best but can endanger your life at worst! From the headset to the hubs, here are 13 points of control essential to ensure the good condition of your bike.


Control the play in the hub

1/ Control the play in the hub

Have the wheel play sideways. If you feel a play, the hub needs to be revised.

Check the tension of the spokes and the wheel buckling

2/ Check the tension of the spokes and the wheel buckling

Pinch the spokes 2 by 2. If there is too high a difference in tension between 2 spokes, the wheel needs to be unbuckled. Rotate the wheel in the air by fixing the rim edge (and not the tyre edge): if the rim movement isn't linear, the wheel must be unbuckled.

Control the play in the blades

3/ Control the play in the blades

Tighten the front brake and, with the hand on the leg and the fingertips on the blade, lightly play the bike back and forth. If there is play between the leg and the blade, the fork guide rings and the fork seals need to be changed.
Be careful, the brake pads always show a little play in the brake caliper, this play is normal and not to be confused with play with the blades.

Check the play in the headset

4/ Check the headset

Tighten the front brake and, with your hand on top of the headset, lightly play the bike back and forth. If you sense play, you need to tighten the headset.

Caution: the pads always have a little play in the brake caliper, this play is normal and not to be confused with the play in the headset.

Adjust the headset

5/ Adjust the headset

Loosen the stem by unscrewing the 2 tightening screws. With a 5mm BTR wrench, tighten the screw above the steering tube; for proper adjustment, the play should disappear and the rotation of the fork should remain fluid.

Caution: excessive tightening will result in premature wear of the bearings on the headset.

Tighten the stem

6/ Tighten the stem

Screw progressively the 2 screws of the stem with a torque wrench until you reach the recommended torque.

Caution: if one screw is tightened completely, then another screw is, only the first screw will be effective and the risk of breakage will be important.

Use the torque wrench

7/ Use the torque wrench

Set the wrench to the selected torque.
When the tightening torque is reached, the handle of the wrench will tilt suddenly while the head will remain fixed.

Control the play in the crankset

8/ Control the play in the crankset

Holding both cranks at the same time, the crankset should be played laterally. If there is play, the crankset must be replaced.

Check the tightening of the pedals

9/ Check the tightening of the pedals

When tightening the rear brake, check the tightening of the pedals using a pedal wrench. Be careful, the screw thread is reversed on the left hand crank, so turn counterclockwise to tighten it.

Tip for loosening the pedals

10/ Tip for loosening the pedals

When transporting your bike in a car, for example, it may be necessary to disassemble the pedals.
After hours of use in sometimes extreme conditions, the pedals may seize up. To gain more strength, you can press the opposite pedal with your foot to loosen the pedal.
When reassembling, use a copper grease to prevent further seizing.

Check he alignment of the derailleur

11/ Check the alignment of the derailleur

Your transmission is recent, your stop settings are good, your cable tension is first-rate, but... The gears don't shift correctly!
The last thing to check is the alignment of your derailleur hanger. Indeed, if it isn't perfectly aligned with the frame, it must be straightened or even replaced.

Inspect the wear of the pads

12/ Inspect the wear of the pads

Before a long outing or an excursion in extreme conditions (Downhill, muddy ground), it would be wise to control the wear of your pads. Stand over the caliper and visually check the condition of the seal (a pad consists of a metal support and a resin or sintered metal seal). If one of the two linings is too much worn, the brake must be checked; if the pads are worn, replace them.

Caution: some pads work better under certain conditions, so you can adapt your choice of pads to the driving conditions.

Control the tyre pressure

13/ Check the tyre pressure

The pressure of the tyres affects the piloting sensations: while driving at low pressure, you'll gain more comfort and control in the curves, while by driving at high pressure, you'll obtain more efficiency and lose some side grip. It's therefore important to regularly check the pressure of your tyres in order to retain the dynamic qualities of your mount.
You'll find the pressures tolerated by your tyres by reading the inscriptions visible on the sidewalls (box no.3 in the picture). For example, our bike accepts pressures from 2.2 to 4.3 bar (or 32-62 PSI). A, underinflated tyre will present an increased risk of puncture and its sidewalls will wear prematurely, whereas an overinflated tyre will expose you to the risk of having your wheel coming off its rim and the suspension bars will wear out too quickly.

Alltricks

ALLTRICKS NEWSLETTER

Sign up to receive the Alltricks Newsletter, special offers & discounts!

Our Partners

(1) Discount calculated on the lowest Alltricks price during the last 30 days before the start date of the promotion for this product (2) Price calculated on the lowest Alltricks price within 30 days before the sale offer. (3) Discount calculated on the lowest Alltricks price within 30 days before the clearance. (4) Terms and conditions apply. Valid on products sold and shipped by Alltricks. (5) GMT+1 timezone. (6) GMT+1 timezone, Credit Card and PayPal orders only. Until 6pm with Chronopost and until 3pm with other delivery methods. Valid only on all products sold and shipped by Alltricks. Excluding holidays. (7) Usual delivery time. (8) Usual amount of time to prepare your order. Valid only on all products sold and shipped by Alltricks. (9) Enter voucher code at the basket page. (10) For credit card payments between €80 and €6000. Valid in France mainland only on all products sold and shipped by Alltricks. (11) Credit Card and PayPal orders only. (12) A random security check will be made by Oney on some orders. This control takes 24h. (13) Unlimited free delivery with Alltricks Premium on all products sold and shipped by Alltricks. Valid in France only with: Chronopost relais and Chronopost domicile (Chronopost on on appointment excluded), Mondial relay, Colissimo and France Express. (14) Extra 10% off on all products sold and shipped by Alltricks. Valid 1 year. Voucher sent by email for your birthday. (15) Recommended retail price by the supplier (16) In january 2015. Determined by users, among E-commerce Websites available on the Trustpilot platform. (17) Excluding partners sellers products