How to do Wheel maintenance

‘True’ wheels: True refers to your wheel tracking in a straight line without deviation. If your buy used road bikes wheel is out of true it may rub on your brakes or negatively affect the bike’s handling. Adjusting spoke tension is a process to true your wheel that any local bike shop can do.

Change your brake pads: Worn brake pads will reduce braking performance and could potentially damage your rims, or yourself if they fail to work. Changing your brake pads is a simple procedure on most bikes that you can do yourself with a small allen key and a new set of brake pads.

Clean your bearings: Your hub bearings may need to be cleaned out and repacked with grease on a semi-regular basis. The exact time frame will depend on the quality of your hubs, how much you ride and the conditions you ride in. Unless you are proficient with bike maintenance this is one job probably best left with your local bike shop, but be sure to mention it to them when you take it in for its regular service if you think it may be affecting your wheels performance.

Inspect the rim: Every time you brake with rim brakes the rim wears. This friction will eventually cause thinning in the rim, which, if left unattended to could weaken the structural integrity of the wheel. To avoid this, regularly inspect the rim to check for any clear grooving and keep an eye on the rim wear indicators that are usually either a small hole or groove in the rim to show how much material remains.