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Tools and maintenance

Heather in bloom in the Lammermuir Hills (Route 12)

Whatever choices you make about the type of bike you ride, the more use it gets the more maintenance it will require. However expensive or inexpensive your bike, it needs to be looked after. Off-road riding can take it out of a bike, especially in wet and muddy conditions. It’s important to keep your bike at least reasonably clean and keep its moving parts lubricated. A well-maintained bike performs better and its components will last longer.

In dry periods during the summer months – even in Scotland! – some paths and tracks can develop a layer of fine dust, which combined with ordinary chain oil produces a highly effective grinding paste that will punish your bike’s drive-train. Using a ‘dry’ teflon chain lubricant reduces this phenomenon.

Learning the basics of bicycle maintenance and equipping yourself with elementary bike tools is a good idea. You should carry a small tool kit and pump with you while out riding and, at the very least, be able to repair a puncture, fix a broken chain and adjust your brakes and gears when necessary. A basic tool kit – including puncture repair kit, spare inner tubes, tyre levers, allen key set, spoke key and chain link extractor – can be carried in a saddle pack or back pack.