Bike safety checks - what to do before heading out on your bike

Experts are encouraging cyclists to carry out some crucial bike checks for their safety before heading out on the roads.

Leisure bike brand Bobbin Bikes are giving Brits a list of the most important bike checks to ensure a safe journey as we head towards  warmer weather and more daylight hours.

Making obvious checks on  brakes and tyres are important as are those less obvious to novice cyclists like gears and chains.

A spokesperson from Bobbin Bikes said: “The days are about to become brighter and we’re really excited for more people to get back outdoors and start cycling again!

“We want people to be safe when they’re out there riding their bikes and there’s some important bike checks that you should do often to make sure you have a safe journey.

“We’re aware there will be a lot of people who haven’t really been on their bike since the dark winter months kicked in, so it’s a good idea to do a few checks before taking your bike out again.

“Regular cyclists should ideally be carrying out these checks before any long journey or once a week if you do regular short rides.”

Checks to do before heading out on your bike:

1. Tyres

Good tyres are key to a good, smooth ride making them one of the most obvious yet important checks you can do.

It’s important to ensure that your tyre pressure is within the tyre pressure range written on the sidewall. You’ll also want to check the tyre in general for any punctures or cuts but these should be pretty obvious to spot. 

2. Brakes

To check your brakes, simply lift your bike up, spin the wheel and press the brakes. You’ll want to make sure that the brake pads come into contact with the wheel without having to press down on the brakes for too long. 

3. Bike Chain

Keeping your bike chain clean will allow your bike to perform better overall so it's worth taking the time to clean it every few weeks. Applying lubricant to your bike chain often will help prevent dirt from clinging to it which is what ultimately disrupts its performance over time.

4. Gears

If your bike has gears, it’s a good idea to give them a run through to ensure that you can transition between gears smoothly. If your chain does not move up to the next cog smoothly when changing gears and rattles when moving up to the next cog then you’ll need to take a look at your cable adjusters. If you have trouble when lowering gears, you’ll need to loosen the cable adjusters and if you’re having trouble moving up in gears, then it’ll need tightening.

5. Wheels

To check your wheels simply give each wheel a spin. If the wheel makes a noise or moves slightly then you’ll want to get this fixed before heading out on your bike. Another test to carry out is by sitting on the bike and placing one hand on the wheel, and one hand on the handlebar. Try moving the wheel side to side, any movement of the wheel indicates that they are not completely stable.

Remember, if you do find that something happens to your bike whilst you are out, try not to panic. Keep calm, get off of your bike and contact a friend or family member to come and pick you up and get your bike seen or sorted before taking it back out.