How To Tune A Mountain Bike

If you want to keep your mountain bike ride smooth over a long period of time, then you need to know how to tune a mountain bike. Like any other machine, you need to tune a mountain bike in order to enhance its performance and ensure its long-lasting nature. If you tune your mountain bike correctly, it will make your trail ride much easier and pleasant. A poorly tuned bike can not only affect its performance, but also it could have safety concerns. This step by step guide will help learn how to tune a mountain bike.

1. Start with the basics. Always starts with something simple. Check your tire pressure of both front and back wheels. The correct pressure should be marked on your tire. If not please consult with your manual that come with the bike.
2. Tune up your shock absorber. Now days if you spend a decent $200 to $300 hundred dollar on a mountain bike, it usually come with front and rear shock absorbers. You want to make sure that these shock absorbers are functioning properly. In certain cases, you may have to refill your shock, which you can do easily with a shock pump. The correct pressure should also be labeled on the shock or properly stated on the manual.
3. Do some simple cleaning. Daily maintenance can do wonders in this case. Just simply clean up the chain with some soap based cleaning product. There is no need to be fancy here. After the chain is cleaned, make sure you put some lubricants, such as WD-40, on your chain.
4. Check your brakes. Depending on the type of brakes, your maintenance can be very different. Typically on a mountain bike, there is either a disc brake or rim brake. For disc brake, you want to clean that disc, check to see if it is still in working condition. For rim brakes, you may want to adjust the brake shoes, and see if they are being used up too much.

Tip: There are other ways you can tune a mountain bike, do not just limited to these steps.