Should my bike get a tune-up?

Posted on May 10, 2010 by Shaun

Should my bike get a tune-up?
This question has, not surprisingly, been asked frequently over these past couple weeks. And our answer?… NO.

Now you’re thinking, “What do you mean ‘NO’?” Well, if your bike spends more time parked in your garage than your car then, NO, you don’t need a tune up – you need to sell it!

But if you ride – or intend to ride – your bike, then that’s an entirely different story.

What is a Tune Up?
Excellent question: A tune up falls into the same category as a dental cleaning, an oil change, or even clearing out your house gutters; it’s preventative maintenance. A tune-up is the action you take to either offset costs in the long run, or to give yourself more time between the inevitable… a REPAIR.

What is a Repair?
According to Dictionary.com, it is a Verb (used with object) meaning To restore to a good or sound condition after decay or damage; mend: to repair a motor. A repair, then, is a root canal, a motor swap or a new roof. Every bicycle needs a repair at some point or another.

The frequency with which you tune up your bicycle, by the way, often gives you a good timeline of when the eventual repair may need to happen. More tune-ups equals less repairs, and vice-versa.

So, back to the original question: “Should my bike get a tune up?”
YES. If you want to enjoy your bicycle, and put your energy into climbing “Mount Kensingtonjaro” instead of troubleshooting a bike breakdown, then get your bicycle tuned up regularly!