3 Essential Bike Maintenance Tips For Beginners | Maintenance Monday

If you’re new to cycling, looking after your bike may seem like a daunting task. But don’t worry as basic bike maintenance can be broken down into three main tasks: pumping your tyres, cleaning your bike and lubricating your chain. Alex talks you through each of these steps in this video!
0:00 Intro
0:49 Pump Up Those Tyres
2:46 Clean That Bike
7:37 Lube That Chain
9:13 Outro
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[@gcntech]

What other tips do you have for looking after your bike?

[@Jameson480]

Can you make a video about fixing broken brakes?

[@thewanderer673]

Unwanted Noises and Rattles

[@yonglingng5640]

Occasionally check for play in components, such as the headset, crankset, etc. My headset developed some play after I recalled I hit a few big bumps the night before, luckily I checked before starting the ride.

[@marooples]

Do I need to keep degreaser/soap off my disc brakes? How much do I need to worry about protecting them while I clean my bike?

[@AbiShafi]

After every ride I rub the tyres and rims down with a damp microfibres cloth, this is a good way to check your tyres for damage, I also check where/if sealant has pushed through as this will tell you if you picked up any punctures (none for me yet! 😱).

[@divad23]

I like to spray mine with some cologne for that final touch

[@GOLTEB]

There's nothing like riding your bike on a smooth tarmac with a freshly cleaned bike and a lubed chain

[@gcntech]

Great feeling!

[@gcntech]

A clean bike is a fast bike

[@yonglingng5640]

And one with zero play in all components.

[@LexLuthor1234]

and newly and perfectly inflated tires :)

[@ciaranmccormack4434]

Riding a woman is an awful lot less gay then bike riding

[@user-nt8dy4xw9r]

Thank you GCN for constantly supporting the beginners. Many people around the world (including me) are discovering the joy of riding with you :)

[@mphuong002]

This is so helpful! I just purchased my first bike for commuting, and I was terrified by all the professional bike cleaning tutorials, they're just a bit too much for me. But u keep it simple and easy enough to follow. Thank you so much!

[@seancorrigan3531]

Don't put your sponge on the ground!! It will pick up nasty grit which can scratch your paint :( also using two buckets, one for scuds (put your dirty sponge in here first) and then a second bucket with nice clean water :)

[@youvebeenmilked2893]

Good one!

[@stevemawer848]

The standard car detailer's "two bucket method".

[@Pazaluz]

Great tips! Very logical but honestly haven't thought of it myself to use 2 buckets.

[@RobertBeckk]

Soapy wader right chrisfix

[@billkallas1762]

You forgot to mention that Presta valves often get stuck, or partially stuck. Press the valve, with a finger, for a tenth of a second to free it up. If the valve becomes really stuck, you won't be able to force any air into the tire.

[@gcntech]

Thanks Bill - another good tip!

[@youvebeenmilked2893]

I’ve added a lightweight oil to the valve before. Just a drop or even less! To keep it working smoothly. Something like tri-flow oil.

[@joannehoyles2191]

Love your basics guides. As a complete beginner they are invaluable. Thank you.❤

[@darilietas]

Perfect, this is all I need to know before doing my first bike maintenance myself (instead of always going to a local mechanic, they're pretty busy when spring begins). :) Thank you!

[@BTcycle]

Clean my bike yesterday but it's nice to watch these kind of videos to make sure you didn't miss a step.

[@haldus14]

Excellent video for us beginners. Thank you

[@daveboyle76]

Great video for newbies like me. I really need to clean my bike! 😬

[@cornelbacauanu1544]

Great advice GCN tech. Thank you.

[@RazeDee]

Thank you for these beginner videos!

[@jaguarpw]

Thanks for this

[@ScottAyers-nn6xf]

Thank you, helpful information

[@thewanderer673]

Thanks for re-energising us🥰

[@markpenland]

The visual framing of the presenter at 1:07 is great. More like this please.

[@BikeLife154]

That Muc-off degreaser is amazingly good! Better than any aerosol degreaser I’ve ever used!

[@ukpaul9221]

Great video. thanks for the tips. Just a couple of comments - DON'T lay your sponge on the ground unless you want to risk turning it into sandpaper and secondly DON'T soak either the top or the underside of your saddle if it's a Brooks or any other leather saddle - you could wreck it. It's also worth keeping any chemicals off the tyres. They may not do immediate damage but they MAY gradually weaken tyres with repeated soakings. Thanks again for a good video.

[@garethwatkins6347]

Excellent video very useful cheers

[@dudydude3287]

As a beginner, I love this!

[@julianmclean3869]

Great tutorial !

[@007Tenalirama]

Thank you so much

[@KotsA2005]

Nice one. I love seeing videos of cleaning the bike. Because that's my other job aside of my regular job. I don't it when it's my day off from work if there's is someone needs my home service bikewash

[@juliet7703]

I m late to the party but brought my T2 about 6 months ago. I love it. Good review

[@paulworth70]

Thank you GCN for another solid video, however I do have a couple of thoughts to add to those already made, firstly, don't hose your bike in front of a window, they won't thank you for that, and secondly, degrease the oily bits before washing the frame otherwise you'll spray muck onto the frame and have to clean it twice.

[@LexLuthor1234]

Thanks! :)

[@KaushikNSanji]

One of the few bike cleaning videos on youtube where we get to see the non-drive side of the bike being cleaned!🙂

[@girish6064]

Thank you

[@tonykelpie]

For beginners the tip of pushing the Presta valve in before starting to inflate; and if necessary adjusting the amount that the screw is undone. The screw works by pulling a rubber sleeve up to block the valve, and understanding this helps a lot

[@aemiliadelroba4022]

Nice 👍 I realize bike need more maintenance than I imagined! but a clean bike pays off ! 😂

[@leftymadrid]

A clean bike is a safe bike 🚲... One understands this saying as time rolls by. Helpful video for many I'm sure 😃 GCN rocks!!

[@SuperSpable]

why does clean mean safe? what's wrong with just leaving it dirty?

[@leftymadrid]

@@SuperSpable Hi there, I learned this from a pro rider... When you clean your bike throughly you tend to look at all the areas, you can investigate every inch of the bike. And see any inperfections very easily, like cracks, dents, especially on carbon frames, forks, rims, seat posts, and even tyres. Thanks to doing this sort of thing, on several occasions after a nice clean I personally have spotted a cracks on my forks, and damage on the front Tyre. When earlier that day on my long 145 klms ride I got a snake bite puncture from a hole in the road. I was able to get home with a new tube. Thought, "hey everything is fine. But I wasn't able to see much as it rained and my bike was full of crud. If I hadn't checked everything closely after the wash, the next long ride could have ended with catastrophic consequences! I live and ride where the mountains have very steep climbs and 75 Klm. ascents, not good at all if you're riding at that speed with a cracked fork and a damaged sidewall on your Tyre... and through out the years more imperfections have been found after a cleaning. For me as well as many riders out there have seen first hand the meaning of "A clean bike is a safe bike" Hope this has helped It just means that when you deep clean, you can see what's really happening underneath all the dirt, mud, crud.

[@shookone8310]

I love these maintenance videos👍

[@GCNalex]

I cant tell if you are being sarcastic or not. But i will assume you genuinely love them, just like i do!! :-)

[@shookone8310]

@@GCNalex i absolutely love the videos, helped me out more than once. Thanks for great content👍👍🚲

[@GCNalex]

@@shookone8310 Thanks Martin

[@_SpaceDad]

Dawn Ultra dishwashing detergent, the original blue formula. Safe enough for baby ducks and your favourite steed.

[@jasonfenech5347]

@GCN Tech could you do one of those dream bicycle build videos. It will be interesting to see what bike and parts are choosen

[@jackieb.7368]

Thanks !!!!!!!’

[@DepressedLemur9]

Hey I have these tires, they are amazing!

[@user-uj4tk5rz8f]

I like this guy

[@AnnaCentauri]

nice one

[@marcymcflybv1558]

how often do you check your bolts (tightened correctly) and which ones need to be checked regularly?

[@arbuncklecycling]

Oh yeah! Bike cleaning videos. Thank you!

[@safoma]

ty!

[@sm..2022]

Nice

[@thehunterseeker]

Great vid. Btw what is a hose pipe? Do you name everything twice.

[@pokecuber356]

Hi, very helpful video. One QUESTION- what lube did you use?

[@samloose7526]

How often should I look to be doing this? Just picked up a road bike for riding 2-3 times a week at the most. Won't be taking it anywhere too muddy!

[@Killbayne]

ive been torturing my poor bike for over a year now by riding up mountains, never or barely cleaning it and never lubricated it 😭

[@beaudycd]

Nice shoes!

[@HK.doing.somethings]

What brand is the handle bar tape?! Really cool.

[@philbotherobot]

Nice bike that

[@kootubike]

Awesome vedio

[@Dr4g0nW00d]

I bought the Canyon Grizl CF SL 8 one by with dropper and suspension the bike is so capable

[@GMSlash]

You should give that lube some time to be able to get in the right places before rubbing off the excess. I usually do that right after the next ride I'm doing.

[@october5238]

That’s a clean as bike

[@davidlutan7727]

After I wash my bikes, I use a cordless blower to blow off the water, works a treat and drys the bike quickly.

[@JeffreyWilliams-dr7qe]

Maintenence scene from Stars and Watercarriers remains Gold Standard.

[@alexanderemmons8628]

Loved the video! Is it ok that these chemicals are released into the environment?

[@jdleviathan6319]

I wish we had a good bike shop in town. I took my bike I bought from them back to the shop and it left with more issues than I had to start with

[@you_down_with_pjc]

Long hair's looking good my man

[@georgedawson235]

Sponge on the floor made my stomach turn

[@aliancemd]

8:54 I like to also change the gear and clean the cassette - the gear you were on, it gets oily and gathers dirt after that, if not cleaned. Credit to SickBiker for the tip

[@gcntech]

Good tip Lilian!

[@rogats]

Question: what are those white plastic parts you've got on you brake disks?

[@lefousuisse]

What do you do after wash your bike for the brake disc noise ???

[@rob.1963]

I use a garden leaf blower to dry my bike, works really well.

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

Bet your neighbours hate you😉.

[@LukaszMielczarek]

4:33 i you don't have hose and don't want to use bucket you can use air pressured water sprayer it's work great

[@youvebeenmilked2893]

I use one of these and I love it! Sometimes they’re called “pump sprayers”

[@LukaszMielczarek]

@@youvebeenmilked2893 they're have different names but if anyone dosen't know what we talked about it's hand pumped pressure sprayer for plants, it might sound silly but it's great to use (you can adjust stream width) simply power washer on budget

[@beckyball1646]

I have one of these! Much easier than connecting the hose up...

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

... it* works* great.

[@marcusathome]

In short: CLP = clean, lube and pressure! Yep, that's the essentials and you should check if any of it is needed before every bike ride.

[@nopenoperson9118]

I had half a mind to ask why you had froglube anywhere around your bike before I finished reading your comment.

[@andras.89]

Dear All, beginner here. I bought my very first road bike ever, 0km Triban RC520. After 1000km, my first disc break made a huge sound. I've done everything like You showed from prior GCN videos on setting the brake, my bike has a cheaper quick-release skewer though (which I am about to blame), and my first wheels are always getting simply stuck by the brake, does not turn freely as if I am simply getting the breaks off to check on the wheels if they free-spin or not. Then, the weels are turning forewer, with my break pads and break system in, always stops (and skweeks while riding). Driving me nuts... it is a TRP HY/RD system, I don't like the general design to it, hard to screw the bolts, and also to maintain, but yeah, I tried like 30 times disassemble, put together. Pushed the pistons back, set the brakes with spacer tools, etcetc. Where do I go wrong? Any help from You all is much appreciated! PS: Huge fan of your work, Alex!

[@JoopLammerts]

Hey András, Make sure your disc rotor is not bend, this might also cause some rub. And make sure your rotor is not polluted with dirt or oils. You could clean them with some disc brakes cleaner. Good luck!

[@andras.89]

@@JoopLammerts Thank You Joop, rotos looks almosz perfect, checked it many time with torch light as well and stick against it. Looks clean (maybe it isnt, but from the looks of it)

[@JoopLammerts]

@@andras.89 if the rotors are straight I would suggest to go to your local bike shop, if that's possible :)

[@youvebeenmilked2893]

Search KZbin for “how to make disc brakes stop squeaking” I can try to explain one method to you, but it’s hard to explain in comments. Its better if you watch videos.

[@andras.89]

@@youvebeenmilked2893 Thank You - tbh, I've seen like 10 different videos. I think I did everything what I can still have the problem :( Although I'll check the exact one You are recommending, thank You!

[@billygriffiths9668]

Do you have to protect your disc brakes?

[@wallacewestmeath]

maybe its too early in the morning for me but did you get the lever on the air pump in wrong way round?

[@quijadriss7650]

To dry the bike, keep the leaf blower handy.

[@leroybrown4797]

How often should Iube the chain on a cargo E-Bike?

[@michaelb9664]

Remember folks, always put your sponge on the ground to pick up plenty of grit to rub into your paintwork 🤦‍♂️ A toothbrush is way more effective than this Muc Off brush and degreaser is usually not needed unless it’s a very neglected bike.

[@michelleln5958]

Really good video, but just concerned about all of the degreaser and soap going into the drains… animals end up drinking that water. Perhaps there is a way to contain all of the soap and chemicals? Thank you!

[@DR_1_1]

I was thinking about degreasing using petrol/gas on the brush and removing the residues with strips of old cloth...

[@viffer94]

Hi Alex, recently developed a couple of weird side bulges on my Hutchinson tire. No external damage, cuts, abrasions, etc. and nothing on the interior either. The tire just suddenly developed two hematomas in the sidewall on a recent ride. The tire had maybe 500 miles on it, barely broken in. What would cause such a thing? I replaced the tires right away of course with some new Conti Gatorskins. Hopefully they last a lot longer. With tire prices these days I’ll go broke if I have to buy a new set of tires every 500 miles ☹️.

[@zedddddful]

Did you try doing a return on the Hutchinson tyres that sounds like a fault too me.

[@bonne_vie]

Up and rolling

[@user-pt3dd5zz4i]

Do you shift this with box?

[@Jewishkowboy]

I check my tire pressure before each ride

[@dupa611]

P.S. just to make you know my score at this point is almost 25000 km during 6 years, but over 22 000 km in 3 years, on cross bike in Polish harsh all years conditions and the amount of money for maintenance of 2 bikes actually which was needed was ridicules taking into account that My Hight is 193,5 and weight was between 100 - 114 in first 3 years, well now is much more, but same time I was a football player so I have turbo stron legs and insane pressure for drive chain in general. The second bike was ridden by my beloved one which was 50 55 kg and 165cm of Hight so wearing of her parts were of course in smaller amount but we have same bikes only different sizes, obviously.

[@avivarma6564]

question is how often do you do this?

[@phillippitts6294]

??? Do carbon fiber road bikes with disc brakes have different chain and seat stays ? That have been designed differently than non disc frames?

[@dupa611]

I have one, why you didn`t check chain meshes whether they turn ? No one is saying that but when a dirt mix with lube doing it just like you does not provide you with a proper solution to proper mechanics of a drive train, it only looks good and it`s in general bollocks. It took me 2 years to understand how the chain works (which is ofcse mentioned in shimano manual by the way) but the most important thing in chain is that all of the chains / meshes are actually moving - turning around... So when I started to look in a different way to the process now I can even do a lube and it`s efficient for 50 - 200 km done during 1-4 days on road, not to able to define for tarmac or other as it depends from conditions. So please explain why not a single movie is talking about it only interested in advertise of the product ... I was / still am using 2x11 drivetrain which price of every part is costly as h....l. My conclusion is that if your chain is really glutted with dirt the think you see here is absolutely worthless ... Your biggest interest is to have a moving parts in chain because this is how the chain works, in other way you will only use your bike parts and pay the prize for it. And this should be checked through cloth, at the beginning for each mesh if you can turn it around in two fingers. When you learn that than you will starting to figure out how to detect not moving meshes in much efficient way than each by each but only this can make your drive to work in efficient way, not only to minimize the usage, but also to make your ride as it should be and not making it a overkill force what can happen if the drive is inefficient... So my finger is down for this movie

[@davidfindley1588]

So if decide to use the fancy pants cleaning supply. Does the fancy pants come with or do I supply my own fancy pants?? Great stuff keepemcoming

[@GCNalex]

Hey, unfortunately you need to supply your own fancy pants.

[@davidfindley1588]

@@GCNalex lol

[@anarezizov4064]

Boyle yikamak zarali diyilmi bisiklet icin ? Su sizmiyormu bazi yerlerine ?

[@jimjamthebananaman1]

How often do we do all these steps? After each ride? Every week? Every month? Obviously how often you ride and conditions you ride in will play a factor but just as a general rule of thumb would be great

[@GCNalex]

Good question JW, if its dry conditions i would suggest after 4-5 rides, if its wet and horrid then after each ride to look after your bike best.

[@argh1989]

Let's just say the bike shown in this video didn't actually need cleaning.

[@einsteinisbae27]

with wet lube the experience is wholly different :D have to get a new cloth every time....

[@ammoreno7]

How often should I clean my drive train like this given my usage below? I only ride on pavement for about 45 minutes, three times a week in sunny conditions and store my bike in the garage when not in use.

[@DR_1_1]

Clean it when it's dirty.

[@michaelconlee3925]

Once a month

[@venomvideos855]

Pro tip, the same products you use for cleaning your car work for cleaning the bicycle frame.

[@tiagodamadu]

There are excelent manual wap water sprayer for help cleanning the bike.

[@DR_1_1]

Steam cleaning? Kärcher, or car cleaning stations with manual pistol grip...

[@glennpiper1]

02:41 I forgot to do the valve back up. That explains why when I went 1 minute down the road I had flat tyres again. I took it to Halfords they changed my bike tyres for free as they were insured I think they just assumed I had a puncture and they said they just changed it for me 🤦‍♂️🤣

[@GBoz94]

Comparing your bike to mine omg mine is clunky and full of rust lmao

[@Cycle774]

And how do you know where NOT to spray the degreaser??

[@haringapulu671]

What oil are you using for chain?

[@DR_1_1]

Olive oil.

[@KA-zq3yp]

Omg 😳 have been using a bike pump wrong for 30+ years. I pushed the lever in the wrong direction to put it on and then moved it the wrong way. I always thought bike pumps were garbage. FFS.

[@BlackMamba-ix6yw]

How often should this process be done?

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

Depends on how often you ride, but no later than when your bike is dirty.

[@benoittheminerandgamer]

About tire pressure.... I'am 69kg( 5f7, 169cm) and with the bike i'am at 82kg. I have 700x23mm tire. What should be the tire pressure?

[@gcntech]

You should be able to find a guide from your tyre manufacturer

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

You have 23 mm tyres but your bike weighs 13 kg? What kind of clunker is that?

[@benoittheminerandgamer]

@@einundsiebenziger5488 It's a old bike from 2004

[@ralphnorton4919]

I wouldn't recommend putting the sponge and brush on the ground, you will just pick up grit that will scratch the bike

[@arharradine]

No mention of protecting the disks when spraying degreaser on the transmission

[@titomon]

If Alex had a pound for every cleaning video, he would have a super bike by now.

[@GCNalex]

Maybe even two!!!

[@titomon]

And a TT! Hahaha

[@shepshape2585]

These are all great tips, but if I were giving maintenance advice to new riders, the first thing I'd say is "learn how to change a flat." We've all been out on rides and bam, someone gets a flat. They've been cycling for years, so this shouldn't take long. Then you see them searching for a tire lever, a tube, a Co2 canister etc... and you can tell that if you leave it to them, this is going to take forever. So learn how to change a tube. There are tons of videos that will walk you through it. Practice until you've got it down pat. Now then, off you go.