Clean the bike
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Summer is coming...
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Cleaning the bike should be one of your first priorities
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Keep your chain in top condition (Pic: Mike Cotty/Media-24)
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Ensuring that your derailleurs are properly adjusted will help to keep your shifting smooth
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Give your wheels the once over ahead of the summer season
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Prevention is better than cure when it comes to replacing a brake cable
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Use a torque key to make sure all the key bolts on your bike are tight
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A fresh wrap of handlebar tape can make a big difference to the feel of your ride
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It's easy to be lured in by the prospect of a bargain but make sure you get the right size frame (Pic: Media24)
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Do your research beforehand to work out what you want from your bike
Clean the bike
A clean bike is a fast bike, and one of the first jobs on your pre-summer checklist should be to give your bike a good clean, whether it’s been in use over winter or just coming back out of the shed for the first time this year.
If you’re feeling on form, then you should have a bike which looks top dollar too, and if it’s the first time you’ve given your steed the once over in a while then we’re not just talking about a quick going over with a damp cloth. A thorough clean can give a bike a new lease of life and will also give you the opportunity to check for damage.
Video: how to clean your bike like a WorldTour mechanic
Standing your bike upright (or, better still, using a workstand), rinse the bike to get ride of any loose dirt and then use a cleaning agent to work away any more stubborn much with a sponge and warm water. Next up clean the drivetrain (more on that on the next page) and then take to the wheels, paying particular attention to the cassette and brake track. Rinse again with clean water, dry the bike with a clean rag and re-lube the chain and your tired-looking bike will be well on the way to looking like a new machine.
And if you want to see how the pros do it, check out how Etixx-QuickStep’s mechanics clean the team’s bikes in this video guide.
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