Road Bike Servicing Checklist Before Your Next Big Ride

Whether it's a century ride, a group event, or just the first long ride back after a break, the worst time to find a mechanical issue is thirty kilometres from home. Here's what to check yourself, and what's worth a proper look before you commit to a big day out.

What You Can Check Yourself

• Tyres: correct pressure for your weight and tyre width, and check the tread and sidewalls for cuts or embedded debris
• Brakes: squeeze each lever — it should engage firmly well before it touches the bar, with no sponginess
• Gears: run through the full range front and back; shifts should be clean with no hesitation or chain rub
• Bolts and skewers: a quick hand-check that nothing has worked loose, especially the stem, seatpost and wheel skewers or thru-axles
• Chain: should look lightly oiled, not dry and dull, not caked in old grime

This is a five-minute check, and it's worth doing before every long ride regardless of when your last service was.

What Needs A Proper Workshop Look

Some things simply aren't checkable by hand or eye, and these are exactly what a full service covers:

• Bottom bracket play — a slight wiggle in the crank arms that's easy to miss until it's pedalling under load on a climb
• Headset bearing wear — steering that's just slightly less precise than it should be
• Cassette and chain wear — a stretched chain on a worn cassette shifts fine right up until it starts skipping under load, usually mid-ride
• Correct torque — carbon components in particular need bolts torqued to spec, not just "tight," to avoid over-compressing the frame or under-tightening a safety-critical part

See our bottom bracket & headset guide for more on why these two get missed so often.

How Far Ahead To Book

Aim for 1–2 weeks before a big ride or event, not the day before. That gives enough runway to:

• Source and fit any parts that turn out to be worn, rather than rushing a same-day fix
• Let new cables settle and re-tension them if needed, rather than discovering shifting has drifted mid-ride
• Do a short shakedown ride to confirm everything feels right before the day that matters

Which Package Makes Sense

For most riders prepping for a big ride, the Premium Package ($148) — full drivetrain service on top of the safety check — covers what typically needs attention. If it's been over a year since a full service, or you've noticed any of the bottom bracket/headset symptoms above, go straight to the Gold Package ($198).

Full details on our Packages page.

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