When to Tune-Up or Repair?

Mike Frazier in the U.S. has a very nice Gary Fisher Wahoo mountain bike, he’s had it for three years and his friend thinks he should take it for a tune-up or, possibly take it to a repair shop? We list the reasons for taking it to a repair shop

Question:
I have a Gary Fisher WAHOO for about 3 years. A friend was riding it and told me that I need a tune-up, when asked how he knew he told me to ride slowly and shake the handlebars, when I did, the bike felt sluggish. Does this mean I DO need a tune-up and if so how would I do it (or does it need to go to a repair shop)?

Hi Mike,

After three years you should have your bike looked at by an expert, actually after 6 months you should have had the bike looked at! In the first 6 months everything beds in, the cables stretch, the head-set needs adjusting, the cranks need tightening, the gears need adjusting and the wheels should also be checked that they are true.

After three years many parts could be worn, the chain and cassette and the tires might need replacing and the bearings in the bottom bracket, head-set and hubs need checking, basically after three years you should take the bike to a repair shop and have them go over the complete bike. If you check your bike and replace any worn parts on a regular basis the bike will last you a lot longer and serve you well.

You say that the bike feels sluggish when you shake the handlebars, this is probably caused by the head-set needing either replaced or the bearings cleaned or replaced and everything adjusted so that its nice and smooth and not loose or too tight. Adjusting a head-set can be a tricky job if you don’t know what you are doing and should be left to an expert. If you hold the front of the bike off the ground and turn the handlebars from side to side it should be free and smooth without any tightness or “crunchiness” also you can check if the head-set is loose by standing next to the bike and pushing the bike forward whilst pulling on the front brake, there shouldn’t be and rattles or looseness, the front wheel should not move back and forward with the brakes fully on.

So, Mike, take the bike to the shop and get an overall check over.

GF WAHOO