Sunny days and comfortable temperatures are almost here everywhere in Europe. Spring has already knocked on our door and it is finally time to enjoy long hours on the bike outside, not before a good checkup and a service of our bike.

In the world we are living where commodities are up for grabs constantly, there are not many cyclists around who still commit during the whole winter for outdoor rides. Nowadays with all the opportunities and tools available in the market in terms of smart trainers and dedicated apps it becomes more convenient for many of us to do our training inside.

It has been already 3-4 years that brands such as Wattbike, Stages and Wahoo have now developed dedicated indoor smart bikes able to connect with their built in softwares or Zwift allowing people to do a proper session of cycling not only at home but also at the gym.  

Since I lived in England, I have never been a big fan of indoor static sessions. I’ve always tried either to get equipped with fenders and light for rides outside or choose alternative disciplines like Track at the Velodrome whenever I had the opportunity. I often tried to mix up my style of riding alternating my gravel bike (one day that was cyclocross) to keep on finding motivation and new stimulus all year round, no matter the weather conditions or the temperatures.

If you would ask a mechanic he would say that March and April are one of the busiest months at their workshop. Many cyclists around this time of the year are taking their bike to service after months of inactivity or indoor sweating. 

But which are the things we should really make sure we need to check? Does there really exist a checklist for that? Let’s dig in.

Starting from the wheels, we should check if the tyres are not perished and also the integrity of the side of the casing. If we ride Tubeless now is the time to check the state of the sealant, perhaps add a new one (as a rule of thumb we should add tubeless liquid every 6 months but it all depends on how frequently we use the bike and how humid is the environment where we store it).

When we talk about tyres many people like to swap from a 28 mm width for the winter to a faster 25 mm one in Spring, or perhaps opting for a more performing model, for example passing from Continental 4 Seasons to Continental GP5000 or Vittoria Corsa (better rolling and less tread). 

The braking system is another very important thing to check properly before hitting the road again. For v-brakes bikes we need to control the state and wear of the braking pads, while for bikes with disks, other than checking the integrity of the pads, we also need to verify the thickness of the disk rotors with a Vernier. The minimum value to ride safely is 1.5 mm.

If we have used the bike outside a lot in winter we might think about getting it re cabled, as the gear and braking cables could be affected by rust from rain and humidity.

Checking  the state of the chain and keeping it clean prevents -in many cases- the necessity of replacing the cassette or the chainring. A good method to check the wear of the chain is to use the proper tool, like in the image below. BBB and Park Tools are the best brands to look at if we are in need of buying one of them.

Another important thing to do at this stage is to lubricate all the moving parts, un-do and tighten up again all the bolts of stem, seatpost and chainrings. As well, cleaning and greasing the bearing of headset and bottom bracket can be a fundamental thing to do after a long winter.

Checking the state of pedals and cleats is as important as checking the integrity of the bottom bracket. Fastidious squeaks & noises are often coming from that area even if we tend not to give much importance to it. 

Adding a drop of oil on every nipple (if they are outside) where the spoke enters is a great idea and can be a good hack to prevent annoying clicking. Doing that and spinning the wheel a bit will free up considerably each stiff part. Of course by doing this operation be careful of the amount of lubricant you will be using and stay away from rotors or any braking parts.

Last but not least check your tyre pressure and don’t forget to lube your chain. Going for a short spin could be the best way to understand if everything has been done properly, test the bike and see if it is riding safely before committing to long rides or fast descents.

OK, I know there are quite too many things to take into consideration. 

You can now decide if you want to do it yourself and learn a bit during the process or just trust your mechanic doing it for you. Both are good options and will allow you to enjoy the outdoors again without having to worry about anything.

One of my daily sources of inspiration is this Instagram channel @perbikean ran by a pro mechanic. I am sure you will soon get addicted watching his videos.