Summer weather is a combination of heat, humidity and rain. This can be as hard on your bike as it is for you. Here’s how to keep your bike rolling smoothly through summer.

Mostly, we love riding in summer. But it can be a bit uncomfortable and sometimes a bit challenging. That’s just us, the rider. We mustn’t forget about our bikes! We tend to ride more frequently, or do longer rides in summer and this is what we need to be considering:

FREQUENCY: Because we are riding more often, the moving parts on our bikes experience increased wear. We don’t really notice it because we’re enjoying the riding. But over time, small things become tell-tale signs that something is wearing, including tyres, chain, chainring, cassette, shifting cables, derailleur pulley wheels, grips/bar tape, wheel bearings, pivot bearings, BB bearings, headset bearings, suspension seals and brake pads.

Don’t let those small signs become big signs. That’s when you start to consciously something isn’t right and that’s usually when your bike shop’s assessment includes a few expensive replacements. Don’t put off a minor service because it could likely become a major service.

HEAT & HUMIDITY: We sweat extensively on hot, humid summer rides. Sweating is our body’s reaction to heat and a way to help keep us from ‘overheating’. But how does this relate to our bike? Well, because we’re sweating while riding, drops of sweat land on the bike. If you don’t wash your bike regularly, this can lead to corrosion of metal parts because of the salt content in your our sweat. Common areas vulnerable to sweat drops are your handlebars, stem, headset, headtube and toptube.

If you don’t have to wash your whole bike after a hot ride, at least rinse it with a hosepipe to remove the sweat sediment. But do try wash it regularly to prevent this issue from arising.

RAIN: The rainy season means that being caught in the rain while on a ride is quite likely. There are also plenty of puddles and mud around after the rain. Unfortunately, while it’s fun to ride through puddles like you did as a kid, it’s damaging for your bike. Water gets into the moving metal parts and this impacts on the efficiency of these parts and components. For mountain bikers and gravel riders, mud acts as an abrasive paste and accelerates wear of drivetrain parts and brake pads.

Sometimes it’s unavoidable, so at least choose your lines carefully. Try to avoid puddles and goopy mud as much as possible and give your bike a good wash and dry as soon after your ride as possible. Lubricate your drivetrain too with a bicycle-specific chain lubricant.

Lynnwood Cyclery stocks a range of bicycle cleaners and lubricants. The store also has an experienced workshop team who can carry out your minor and major services, or just help you with an assessment if something doesn’t feel or sound right.