Get Your Bike Road-Ready for Summer
Five things to check before your first ride of the season — tyres, brakes, gears, lights, and kit. A practical pre-season guide featuring the Simply Cycling range.
Summer is the best time of year to be on a bike. Longer evenings, drier roads, and — if you've been sensible — a bit of fitness left over from last year. But if your bike has been in the garage since October, it probably isn't ready to just ride. Before you go anywhere, there are five things worth checking. Each one takes a few minutes. Together they could save you a puncture, a mechanical failure, or worse, a safety issue on the road.
Check the Tyre Pressure
Inner tubes lose air slowly over time, even without a puncture. A bike that's been stored for the winter will almost certainly have soft or flat tyres. Riding on under-inflated tyres increases rolling resistance, makes the bike harder to handle, and significantly increases the risk of a puncture — the tyre can fold over on corners and pinch the tube against the rim.
The correct pressure is printed on the sidewall of the tyre — usually a range in PSI. Mountain bike tyres typically run at 30–50 PSI, hybrid and commuter tyres at 50–70 PSI, and road bike tyres at 80–130 PSI. You'll need a pump with a pressure gauge to get it right.
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Track pump with built-in pressure gauge. The most accurate way to inflate to the correct pressure at home — far more reliable than a mini pump for getting the numbers right before a ride. View product → |
A compact pump is also worth keeping on the bike for roadside top-ups. If you get a slow puncture mid-ride, being able to add air can get you home.
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230mm alloy mini pump compatible with both Schrader and Presta valves. Fits in a jersey pocket or saddle bag. View product → |
Inspect the Tyres Properly
Inflation is only half of it. Before you ride, run your eyes — and your fingers — around both tyres looking for cuts in the tread or sidewall, embedded grit or glass, and any bulging or cracking in the rubber. A tyre with a deep cut in the sidewall is a blowout waiting to happen and should be replaced before you ride on it. Rubber also degrades with age and UV exposure, so if the tyres are more than three or four years old, check them carefully.
While you're looking at the tyres, check the inner tube size if you don't know it. The size is printed on the tyre sidewall — something like "26 × 1.75" or "700 × 28C". You'll need this if you have to replace a tube. Carry a spare that matches.
| Valve type matters too. Most mountain and hybrid bikes use a Schrader valve — the same wide valve you find on a car tyre. Road bikes typically use a Presta valve — narrower, with a locknut at the top. Make sure your spare tube and your pump are both compatible with the valve your bike uses. |
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Self-Healing Inner Tube SV 26in × 1.75–2.125 Contains a puncture-sealing compound that automatically repairs small holes as you ride. A practical choice for commuters and family cyclists who would rather not stop to fix a puncture roadside. View product → |
Test the Brakes
Brake cables stretch with use and deteriorate with age. If your bike has been stored for a few months, the brakes may have loosened off significantly. Test each one before you ride: pull the lever firmly and hold it. The brake should engage well before the lever reaches the handlebar grip, and holding it should make the wheel completely resistant to rolling.
If the lever pulls all the way to the grip, or if the bike rolls when you try to push it with the brake applied, the cable needs adjusting or replacing before you ride. Also check the brake pads — they should still have material visible above the metal shoe. Worn pads reduce braking performance and can damage your wheel rim.
| Quick test: With the bike on the ground, apply each brake and try to push the bike forward. The wheel should skid or the bike should resist moving. If the wheel rolls freely, don't ride until the brakes have been fixed. |
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Universal Complete Brake Cable Direct replacement for stretched or frayed brake cables. Universal fit for most caliper, V-brake, and cantilever systems. Pre-fitted with end cap. View product → |
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Replacement brake pads for mountain bike V-brakes. Standard 70mm fit. Replace when the wear indicator groove disappears. View product → |
Check the Gears
Gear cables stretch just like brake cables, which is why gears that were perfectly adjusted in October may feel sluggish, slow to engage, or reluctant to shift to the right sprocket by spring. Run through the full range — every gear on the front chainring and every sprocket on the rear cassette — before you ride anywhere that relies on them. A missed shift on a hill is frustrating. A missed shift at speed on a descent is dangerous.
If the shifting feels imprecise but the cable isn't visibly frayed or broken, the barrel adjuster on the derailleur (or on the shifter itself) can often be turned a quarter-turn at a time to bring it back into adjustment. If it's been a while since the cables were replaced, replacing them is often the simplest fix.
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Universal replacement gear cable for most derailleur systems. Replace at the first sign of sluggish or imprecise shifting. View product → |
Sort Your Kit
Before the first proper ride of the season, it's worth making sure you have everything you'd need to deal with a mechanical on the road. The three essentials are a spare inner tube (the right size for your bike), a set of tyre levers, and a puncture repair kit in case you flat twice. A multi-tool covers most other roadside adjustments — saddle slipping, loose handlebars, a dropped chain.
All of it fits in a small saddle bag under the seat. It weighs almost nothing and you'll forget it's there — until you need it.
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Patches, adhesive, tyre levers, and marker. Everything needed to fix a puncture roadside. View product → |
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Robust plastic levers for removing a tyre without damaging the rim or pinching the tube. View product → |
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13 functions including hex keys, screwdrivers, and chain tool. The one tool worth keeping on the bike on every ride. View product → |
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Universal Saddle Bag 17×10×6cm Velcro and quick-release mounting, reflective strip, weatherproof. Fits a tube, levers, repair kit, and multi-tool. View product → |
All Simply Cycling products featured in this article are available through JRP Distribution — the authorised UK trade distributor for the Simply Cycling range.
Tel: 01903 750355 • sales@jrpdistribution.co.uk • jrpdistribution.co.uk