Maintenance is key to keeping your bike running well. It will ensure your bike performs and the parts last longer. Fortunately, single speed/fixed gear bikes tend to be easy to maintain given the simplicity of parts. Wabi also uses sealed bearings on the headsets, bottom bracket and hubs to make maintenance even easier.
Below is a general maintenance and tool guide to what you should do on a daily to weekly to monthly to annual basis. This will vary based on how often you ride, your mileage and your type of riding. Much of this can be done at home (with basic bike tools) while some steps would best be done by a bike mechanic.
Daily/Weekly
- Check your tires for proper pressure and any damage.
- Check your brakes to ensure they work properly.
- Check that your wheels are secured by checking wheel bolt tightness.
- Wipe down your bike frame. This is critical if you ride in an area with road salt that may cause frame corrosion issues.
- Grease chain if needed.
Monthly
- Clean all the mechanical parts of your bike, especially your drivetrain. Clean and re-grease your chain at a minimum. Re-grease any other parts that are re-assembled (i.e. freewheel/cogs,
- Inspect for any paint chipping that may lead to potential rusting.
- Check your chain for wear. Replace if needed.
Quarterly
- Check the tightness on all bolts on bikes - seat post, stem, stem cap, crank arms, chainrings and brakes.
- Check brake pads for wear. Replace if needed.
Annually
- Inspect and re-true wheels
- Check sealed bearings in hubs for proper operation. Replace if needed.
- Check headset. Replace sealed bearings if needed.
- Check bottom bracket. Replace bracket if needed.
- Check and replace brake cables as needed.
Tools
The following tools are things you can use to help take care of your bike. We have broken them out with the basic tools for regular cleaning.
Basic Maintenance Tools
- Bike pump
- Bike wash
- Soft clothes for bike wash / frame wipes.
- Shop rags for component cleaning.
- Degreaser
- Chain oil
- Bike grease and/or anti-seize
- Bike brushes (for chain and or drivetrain)
- Chain cleaner kit
- Allen wrench set - 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, 6mm and 8mm.
- Chain tool
Advanced Maintenance Tools
- Torque wrenches (lower range wrench and higher range wrench)
- Freewheel tool
- Lockring wrench
- Chain whip or cassette pliers
- Bottom bracket tool
Beyond this, you would be getting into shop tools (hub presses, truing stand) and usually aren't worth the investment for most home mechanics.