Summer Starts Here: Your Mountain Bike Summer Prep Checklist | Simons Bike Shop

The days are longer, the trails are drying out, and that familiar itch to get back on the bike is well and truly back. Summer is the best time of year to be on a mountain bike, but before you head out and hammer your first descent of the season, it's worth taking a little time to make sure your bike is as ready as you are.

At Simons Bike Shop, we're big believers that a well-prepped bike makes for a better, safer, and more enjoyable ride. Whether you've been out all winter or your bike has been sitting in the garage since October, here's a straightforward checklist to get you trail-ready.

1. Tyre Check

Tyres are your connection to the trail, so this is the first place to start. Give both tyres a good visual inspection, looking for any cuts, cracks, or signs of wear in the tread. If you're running tubeless, check the sidewalls carefully and top up your sealant if it's been a while, as most sealants need refreshing every few months.

Next, check your tyre pressure. After sitting unused over the colder months, pressures can drop noticeably. Grab a decent pump with a gauge and inflate to your preferred PSI. Most trail riders run somewhere between 22 and 28 PSI depending on their weight and riding style, but experiment to find what works for you. Properly inflated tyres give you better grip, control, and puncture resistance.

2. Brake Check

Brakes are non-negotiable when it comes to safety, so give them a thorough once-over before you ride. Start by checking your brake pads. If the compound is worn down to 1 to 2mm or less, it's time to replace them. Glazed or contaminated pads can also drastically reduce stopping power, so look out for any shiny or oily surfaces.

Squeeze each lever and check that it feels firm and responsive, with no sponginess. Hydraulic brakes can develop air in the lines over time, which leads to a soft, untrustworthy feel at the lever. If in doubt, a bleed is a straightforward fix and well worth doing before summer. Also check that your rotors are straight, as even a slight buckle can cause annoying rubbing and reduced performance.

3. Drivetrain Clean and Lube

A clean, well-lubed drivetrain is a happy drivetrain. Over the course of a season, your chain, cassette, and chainring will accumulate grime that eats away at components and leads to poor shifting.

Give your chain a thorough degrease and clean, then inspect it for wear with a chain checker tool. A worn chain is often the most cost-effective thing to replace early, as letting it run too long means it wears down your cassette and chainring, which are much more expensive. Once clean, apply a fresh coat of quality chain lube suited to the conditions you'll be riding in. Run through the gears and make sure everything is shifting crisply.

4. Suspension Setup

Suspension is one of those things that's easy to overlook but makes a huge difference to how your bike rides. Start by checking your sag, which is the amount your suspension compresses under your body weight. For most trail riding, you're aiming for around 25 to 30% sag on both fork and shock. Adjust your air pressure using a shock pump until you're in the right zone.

Also check that your rebound and compression dials are set to a sensible starting point. If you've never dialled your suspension in properly, your bike manufacturer's website will usually have recommended baseline settings based on rider weight. A well-set-up suspension transforms the way a bike feels and handles, and it's absolutely worth spending a few minutes on.

5. Bolt Torque Check

This one's easy to skip but genuinely important. Vibration from trail riding can cause bolts to work loose over time, particularly on stems, handlebars, seatposts, and disc brake callipers. Grab a torque wrench and work through the key contact points on your bike, tightening to the manufacturer's specified torque values, which are usually printed on the component itself. Don't overtighten carbon components, as the specified torque limit is there for good reason.

Not Sure? Let Us Check It For You

If any of the above feels a bit daunting, or you just want peace of mind before the season kicks off, pop into Simons Bike Shop. Our in-house workshop carries out thorough safety checks on every single bike we sell, and we're happy to help you get your own bike sorted too.

We're also getting a fresh batch of expertly checked second-hand mountain bikes in soon, so if you've been thinking about upgrading or getting into the sport for the first time, there's never been a better time to come and have a look. And right now, we're offering a free bike check for anyone who comes in to browse.

Summer is here. Let's make it count.