Autumn can be pretty tough on your bike. Mud, water, and wet trails put extra stress on its components, and the end of the season is the perfect time to give your bike some proper care. What can you handle at home, when is it better to head to a bike shop, and why should you regularly check your chain and brakes? We caught up with Peter Kuzma, owner and CEO of Cykloshop.sk, to talk about what you shouldnât overlook when it comes to post-season bike maintenance and what every rider should keep an eye on.
To start, could you introduce Cykloshop? How did it all begin, what do you specialize in today, and what can bikers find at your stores?
Our very first store opened in 1993, so weâve been around for 33 years now. My parents started it, although back then it wasnât yet under the Cykloshop name. The Cykloshop brand itself came later, when I joined the business around thirteen years ago. Today, we have two stores â one in TrenÄĂn and another in Bratislava. Weâve built a community of real bikers around us. We ride ourselves, race, and make YouTube videos, so we specialize mainly in higher-end bikes. A lot of customers come to us specifically for premium bikes, but of course, we also sell more affordable models. You could say that bikers can find pretty much everything they need at our stores â from clothing and complete bike gear to more specialized equipment such as power meters and various sensors. And of course, we also offer bike servicing.
Itâs autumn, which means mud, water, and cold conditions on the trails. Which parts of the bike take the biggest beating during autumn riding, and what should we pay attention to?
It depends on what kind of bike you ride. If itâs a mountain bike or an enduro bike, especially a full-suspension bike, the fork, shock, and all the moving parts take the biggest beating. A full-suspension bike has a lot of bearings, and thatâs where most of the dirt and mud tends to get in. You could say that in these conditions, the whole bike takes more of a beating and wears out faster than it does in dry conditions. If I had to pick one priority, it would definitely be all the moving parts.
What should we do with the bike right after a really wet and muddy ride?
If the bike is really dirty and covered in mud, the best thing you can do is clean it straight after the ride. The mud is still relatively soft and comes off much more easily than if you leave it to dry for two or three days. So first, clean and rinse the bike. Then dry it as well as you can and finally lubricate the chain. Not everyone feels like doing it, but once you have your own routine, it only takes a few minutes. If itâs dry outside and you come back from a clean ride, thereâs obviously no need to do a full wash after every ride.
Whatâs the right way to wash your bike, and what mistakes should you avoid when cleaning it? Is a pressure washer really as bad as people say?
You can rinse your bike with a garden hose, and you can use a pressure washer too. You just need to be careful with the pressure. I recommend keeping it at around 10 bar or less. A standard pressure washer can easily reach around 100 bar, and at that pressure you can force water into the bearings. So, if youâre using a pressure washer at a self-service car wash, for example, keep it further away from the bike. You can use it on the tires or similar parts without any problem, but Iâd be much more careful around moving parts, hubs, the fork, shock, and bearings. Another thing I recommend is blowing the bike dry with compressed air after washing it. You donât even need a big compressor â there are small portable air blowers available these days. This helps get water out of the moving parts and areas around the fork, shock, chain, and other hard-to-reach places. The bike should be properly dried after washing.
What should we clean and lubricate after washing the bike, and where should lubricant definitely not go?
Iâd only lubricate the chain. On a suspension bike, you can also use a little silicone on the rubber seals around the fork or shock to give them some basic care. One place I definitely wouldnât put any lubricant is on the brake pads, haha. Other than that, thereâs no reason to take the bike apart and grease the bearings after every ride. That would be overkill. For basic maintenance, itâs enough to wash the bike properly, dry it, and lubricate the chain.
What should every biker do with their bike once the season is over?
If you know you wonât be riding during the winter, the best thing to do is prepare the bike for storage. That means giving it a proper wash and rinse, drying it thoroughly, and lubricating the chain. If the bike is in good condition, you havenât had any issues with it, and you havenât put too many kilometers on it during the season, that can be completely sufficient. I also wouldnât leave the bike somewhere exposed to freezing temperatures. And with e-bikes, thatâs even more important.
What can a biker check and take care of at home after the season, and what is better left to a professional service?
You can definitely check the chain to see if itâs stretched. Then check the brake pads to make sure thereâs still enough material left, the rotors, and the brakes overall. You can also check the shifting and make sure everything is working as it should. On a full-suspension bike, we recommend servicing the shock and fork according to your mileage and the manufacturerâs service intervals. Thatâs something 99% of people wonât do at home, so in that case Iâd recommend taking the bike to a service shop. Then it depends on the bikeâs overall condition. If thereâs any play in the frame or rear suspension, the bearings and other moving parts should be checked. Most casual riders wonât want to take all of that apart at home. If someone does want to do their own servicing, though, we have plenty of service videos where they can look up a specific problem and see how to deal with it.
What are the most common signs that a component is already worn and should be dealt with before it causes a bigger problem?
The most common one is the chain. A stretched chain is one of the things we deal with most often in the workshop. A lot of people donât measure it at all, for example because they donât own a chain checker. Iâd recommend everyone gets one â they only cost a few euros. If you ride for too long with a stretched chain, the other drivetrain components gradually wear to match it. Then, when you fit a new chain, everything may no longer work properly together and you can end up having to replace the whole drivetrain. So something that might cost around 50 euros can easily turn into a 300 or 350 euro repair, depending on the components youâre running. Then there are the brake pads and the brakes in general â you should check whether the pads are worn out and whether the rotors are still in good condition. After that, Iâd do a quick check of the whole bike: the shock, fork, any play in the bike, the headset, bottom bracket, and so on. Iâd also check the tires to make sure they still have enough grip and arenât due for replacement.
What shouldnât you forget when doing post-season bike maintenance?
- Give your bike a thorough clean â donât let mud and dirt dry on the frame, drivetrain, or suspension.
- Dry it properly after washing â pay extra attention to bearings and moving parts.
- Check chain wear â a simple chain checker can save you from a much more expensive drivetrain replacement.
- Check the brakes â inspect the brake pads and rotors and take care of any wear before the next season.
- Be careful with pressure washers â donât aim high-pressure water directly at bearings, the fork, shock, or hubs.
- Get bigger service jobs done after the season â your bike will be ready to go in spring, and youâll avoid the busiest time at bike shops.
- Donât store your e-bike with an empty battery â aim for around 60â70% charge and keep it somewhere protected from freezing temperatures.
Why is it worth getting a bigger service done in autumn instead of waiting until the first rides of spring?
At the end of autumn and during winter, bike shops usually have the least amount of work. The mechanic can spend more time on your bike, and the whole process is usually quicker too. In spring, everyone shows up at once because the weather gets nice and everybody wants to start riding straight away. Thatâs when waiting times for servicing get much longer. So if you want your bike ready for the next season, I definitely recommend getting it serviced at the end of autumn or during winter. We even offer service discounts during this period.
There are more and more e-bikes on the trails. What should riders pay attention to when it comes to the battery and winter storage?
With e-bikes, itâs very important not to leave the battery completely discharged. If youâre storing your e-bike for the winter, ideally the battery should be charged to around 60 to 70%. And most importantly, donât leave it in freezing temperatures. We often get customers in spring saying their e-bike isnât working or the battery has failed, simply because they left it completely discharged all winter. A lot of e-bikes have removable batteries, so you can simply take the battery out and store it somewhere at room temperature. The bike itself can stay in a garage, for example, but I definitely wouldnât leave the battery in freezing conditions.
What maintenance mistakes do you see customers make most often?
I know Iâm repeating myself, but itâs definitely a stretched chain. Thatâs the big one. People simply keep riding with a worn chain for too long, which unnecessarily wears out the other drivetrain components as well. The second thing is worn brake pads. Those are probably the two most common issues every biker should keep an eye on.
Is there a common bike-servicing myth youâd love to debunk once and for all?
For example, the idea that if the bike is still working, it doesnât need servicing. Thatâs something we hear quite often: âThe fork still works,â or âThe chain is only two years old,â even though it has already done 10,000 km. And thereâs one more thing we come across in the workshop: someone comes in saying itâs âa two-minute job.â Adjusting a derailleur, for example. But then the mechanic finds another ten issues and that two-minute job can easily turn into three hours of work. Itâs often not as simple as it looks at first glance.
What can bikers do throughout the season to help their bikes last longer and avoid any nasty surprises at the workshop at the end of it?
Regular maintenance and regular checks, for sure. Every now and then, measure the chain, check the brake pads, and generally make sure the bike is in good condition. If you replace the chain and brake pads at the right time, you usually avoid any major surprises and save money at the same time. But if you completely neglect maintenance and only bring the bike in once everything is worn out, suddenly a lot of parts need replacing. Then itâs easy to end up spending 300, 400, or even 500 euros on servicing. Itâs a bit like going to the dentist. If you donât take care of your teeth and only show up after fifteen years, it probably wonât be an easy fix. Bikes are similar. A lot of issues can be caught early, while theyâre only starting and can still be solved with a service. If you keep riding, you can end up completely destroying the component.
