Blog - Pre ride Autumn prep

Pre ride Autumn prep

As with any bike, with the autumn season approaching it is a good idea to prepare your ebike for what lies ahead.

The wet weather brings with it more punctures, rust and seized parts. For the hardy souls, this can put a serious damper on any potential ride, be it a 15mile commute or 30mile weekend trip.

To pre-empt the coming season, we have listed ideas to make it easier to navigate.  

1) Get yourself checked. Either service the bike yourself or have a basic service  ( checks the chain for wear, checks the brakes, adjusts the cables, checks tyres for wear ) done at your local bike shop. This will highlight, amongst other things, if the cables are corroded, the headset or hubs need greased or the brake pads/ blocks need replaced.

2) Tread carefully. If you find the tyres are bald consider upgrading them to something more puncture resistant. "Schwalbe" and "Specialized" both make a range of hard wearing rubbers using Kevlar sidewalls and thicker treads. Changing a tube mid ride isn't much fun in the dry let alone in a bitter wind or rain. Lowering the pressure in the tyres ( by around 5psi ) will improve traction on leaves and mud but will increase the chance of pinch punctures.

3) Oil be seeing you. Even if the chain isn't worn it's still a good idea to oil it. Any basic 3 in 1 oil will be better than nothing, but if you choose to use a higher quality oil eg. "Finish line" use a wet lube rather than dry. Dry the chain after every wet ride or use a water displacement spray ( WD40) before re oiling.

4) Get lubed up. Lube or oil moving parts that will get wet regularly. These include the pivots of the front and rear derailleur ( mechs) and any screws that adjust the mechs or brakes. Light grease on the seatpost will prevent it from seizing in the frame. To make wheels easier to maintain, oil nipples and lube nuts.

5)  Fit mudguards, even if it's a set from "Poundland". Every little helps, or is that " Tesco".

6) Gear up. Now is a good time to buy waterproof overtrousers and windproof clothing. Shops will be selling wet weather gear cheaper now to clear old stock. "Lidl " and "Aldi" often have affordable cycling clothing and accessories.

7) See the light. A good set of lights will make sure you're seen by other road or cycle path users. It also makes you road legal. Many  new lights on the market are USB rechargeable and so can be recharged from a computer.

Following these steps should keep you right for the season!