8-minute read

So … you’ve booked your next Marmot Tours epic road cycling holiday! Your flights are booked, you’re excited, and you’re counting down the days until you’re swinging your leg over the top tube, clipping in, and riding those beautiful roads! It’s easy to know what to pack in your suitcase (we can point you to the ideal packing list if you’ve booked with us). However, the crucial part of your packing should be ensuring your bike is safe and smooth to ride. This will allow you to have optimum enjoyment while on holiday and to stay safe on the road. If wrenching is not your bag, we recommend taking your pride and joy to a local bike shop with glowing reviews and a good reputation. Do this plenty of time before your trip to ensure any potential bike gremlins are taken care of before packing up your bike and heading off.

Our guide Tom Mutton has written this helpful blog. Whether or not bike mechanics are in your skillset, keep reading for our top tips on checking your bike is safe to ride …

A well-established, methodical way to check over your bike is to imagine following the outline of the letter ‘M’. Check all the components from left to right – from the front to the back – to see if anything needs addressing. Here we go …

Front wheel

Start at the centre of your front wheel and ensure it’s secured securely and straight to your fork. If you have a quick-release skewer, you want to open it up. Put some weight down on the top of the bike to ensure the wheel is in straight. Then close the skewer firmly, either in front of or behind the fork – NOT against it, as it may not be fully engaged. The skewer should start to tighten at about halfway from fully open. If you have a through axle, this is like a big screw, so ‘righty tighty, lefty loosey’.

Once you know your wheel is in straight, you can check everything else on the wheel. Give it a spin to make sure that it runs straight and true. Also, check that the brakes don’t rub and that the bearings in the centre of the wheel feel smooth. If you do this by holding the fork whilst the wheel is running, it allows you to feel the condition of the bearings. It should feel smooth with little to no vibration.

You should also assess the condition of the tyres for wear on the top and sides. Check for any debris, too. Finally, make sure the direction of the tread is correct. It should point in the direction in which the wheel will travel when you’re riding. Pump up the tyre to between the recommended minimum and maximum pressures written on the tyre’s sidewall.

Give your spokes a squeeze, two at a time, starting and finishing at the valve – they should feel even in tension. Push the wheel from side to side to check for bearing wear/looseness – it should feel solid. Finally, check your braking surface has plenty of wear left. On a rim brake bike, you shouldn’t be able to feel any dip in the rim. On a disc brake bike, the rotor should have a minimum thickness marking (min.TH), so ensure it’s not past this. 

Forks

Check your forks on both sides as you move up your frame. Any cracks will need inspecting by a bike mechanic. 

Brakes

Make sure your pads have plenty of life left in them. This is easier on a bike with rim brakes, where you can easily see if the pads have worn close to or past the wear lines on the pads. For disc brake bikes, you might need to get your torch out to see how much material is left on the pad. If they’re close to a business card’s thickness (0.5mm), it’s time to change them. TOP TIP: always bring a spare pair or two with you on your cycling holiday. With so many incredibly long descents, you might wear through pads quicker than at home! While squeezing the lever, ensure it doesn’t come more than halfway towards the bars. 

Headsets

Headsets next. Move your handlebars 90° to one side and whilst holding your front brake with one hand, use your other hand to hold the top headset bearing and rock the bike forward and backward. There shouldn’t be any knocking movement here. Next, lift your front wheel and move your handlebars from side to side; the movement should feel smooth and free. 

Stem

To check your stem, come around the front of the bike and put some downward pressure on the handlebars to ensure the four front stem plate bolts are secure. They should also have the same gap at all four bolts to ensure even tension on the handlebars. Next, secure the front wheel between your legs with your knees at the top and feet at the bottom. Try to move the handlebars 360°; they shouldn’t budge! This tests the two stem bolts attaching the stem to the steerer tube. 

Handlebars

Handlebars now. Make sure you have bar ends securely at the end of your bars to avoid ‘apple coring’ (Google it if you don’t mind a bit of gore, but don’t if you’re squeamish!). Also, make sure your tape is in good condition with no gaps. You can also check that anything attached to your bars is secure, such as the brake/gear shifters. If you have electronic gears, it’s also worth checking the battery status of your shifter batteries and again, we advise you to pack spares. 

Tubes

Tubes next. The top tube is, as it suggests, at the top, and the down tube is, you guessed it, the one that goes down! Check both of these on both sides for cracks and pay special attention to any joins. When passing the bottle cages, give them a wobble and ensure they’re secure.  

Bottom brackets

Bottom brackets now. Move your cranks so that they’re positioned at six and twelve on a clockface, and try to move them towards and away from the bike; there shouldn’t be any movement here. 

Chain

Chain next. Ensure it’s clean, dry, and lubricated. Make sure it’s not worn by using a chain checker. 

Pedals

To check your pedals, give them a spin; they should feel free. Hold them and move them from side to side to feel if there is any bearing play/movement. 

Seat tube

The same as any other tube, check both sides, especially at the joins. 

Seat post collar and seat post

To check your seat post collar, put all your weight on the saddle to ensure it will hold you, and also try to move the seat 360°; the seatpost shouldn’t move. Seat post next. As with the tubes, check for any cracks and ensure the post is not past the minimum insertion line, which should be etched onto the seatpost towards the bottom. 

Saddle

Saddle up! Ensure your saddle is fully secure – try moving it in all directions; it shouldn’t budge! 

Back brake

The back brake is next, and just as we did at the front, we want to check that it’s working, that there’s plenty of wear left in the pad, and that the braking surface isn’t worn. 

Chain stay

“Stay now!” (Yes, that was an E17 reference for those of you old enough to remember!). Just as we checked the tubes, we want to check both sides of the seat and the chain stays on both sides of the bike, especially at the joins. 

Back wheel

Now we’re onto the back wheel, which we check just like the front. Check that the wheel is in the frame correctly first, and then check all of the components of the wheel itself. 

Electrical components

If you have any electrical components on your bike, such as electronic gearing, be sure that they’re fully charged and you’ve packed the necessary chargers, batteries, etc. This also applies to lights and navigation devices you may have – we advise downloading all your upcoming routes to your device ahead of your trip.

That’s it, you’re done! If you stick to the above steps, you’ll have checked your bike systematically, following the shape of the letter ‘M’ from the front to the back. This method helps you to avoid overlooking any of your bike’s components.

Unfortunately, we don’t have the time to go into all of the possible gremlins that may be found and how to fix them, but finding them is the most important thing. If you’re happy tinkering and trying to fix issues you come across, then that’s fantastic, and it’s how we can learn more about our bikes and save some money in the process.

Of course, if you’re not that way inclined or are short on time, the other option is to take your bike into a decent local bike shop. Either way, finding the issues by performing a thorough check of your bike is the first step in this process and should be done regularly, but especially in the build-up to your fantastic Marmot Tours road cycling holiday! 

I look forward to seeing you with your superbly well-maintained bike on one of our holidays soon!

Happy riding!

Tom Mutton.