Bike
BMX
How to maintain your BMX bike at home
Check out these handy tips from top Indian riders on the perfect do-it-yourself guide to taking care of your BMX bike at home.
15 min
Air: The story of BMX in Imphal
The story of the passion that drives the young BMX riders of Imphal, Manipur, India.
“A clean bike is a fast bike,” is a popular expression in the biking community.
Each discipline has its own focus and challenge. For now, we will focus on BMX bikes and how you can take care of yours at home to get the best ride every time you take it out.
While keeping the bike clean is important, you can face a lot of other issues with your BMX bike. These include dents, wear and tear, lose nuts and bolts, suboptimal tyre pressure, a chain which is too lose or too tight, a lose headset, lose spokes, etc.
We spoke with BMX riders Faizan Shah from Kollam, Karthik from Chennai, Bhavesh Virwani from Baroda, Prajwal Sagare from Indore, Kartikey Verma from Varanasi and Miller B Renthlei from Aizawl for their tips on BMX bike maintenance.
Here are their tips on how you can take care of your BMX bike at home.
Equipment you will need
Allen keys, tyre levers and puncture patches will fix most mid-ride issues
© Park Tool
- Allen key set
- Rags
- Lubricant
- Degreaser
- Spoke wrench
- Ring spanner
- Air pump
Overall checks of the bike
Viki Gomez and his BMX bike
© Ali Bharmal | Red Bull Content Pool
- Parts of the bike: Frame, spokes, handlebar, wheels
- Frequency: Every fortnight
Although you need to look at each part in detail, start by doing an overall check of the bike. With this check, look for any cracks or loose bolts. There could be dents or cracks in the frame of the bike so it is best to look over it under bright light every fortnight.
Also give every nut a touch up with the Allen key. These overall checks will keep you safe on the bike and also help you build confidence for when you are riding.
Wash and re-grease the moving parts
- Parts of the bike: Chain, chainring, brakes, headset stem, wheel hubs, crank
- Frequency: Every three-four weeks
You should wipe down the bike for dust every time you ride. But every few weeks, make it a point to wash out the greased up parts of the bike since they collect dirt.
Use a rag and detergent water to wash these parts, make sure they are perfectly dry, and then re-grease the parts so your bike is ready to ride.
Note: Do not use pressure jets on bearings and joints of the bike.
Handlebar alignment
- Parts of the bike: headset and handlebar
- Frequency: Once a month
Tricks and jumps can leave the headset loose. The best practice is to take out the headset, apply a little grease and tighten the handlebar every month. It should be straight to the fork, or as per your liking.
“The bike’s bar and stem are constantly under pressure. So it’s not a surprise that they can get loose and start to jiggle around. It is always a good idea to check them before a ride or event and make sure they are always tight,” says Faizan Shah, who has been riding for five years.
Air Pressure
Air pressure in your tyres are important
© Tyrone Bradley
- Parts of the bike: Tyres
- Frequency: Before every ride
Air pressure (measured in PSI) in the tyre on a BMX bike varies depending on the tyre model, the type of riding and your personal preference. Making sure your tyres are at the correct pressure will also maintain the life of your tyre treads and rims. Check the pressure in your tyres before every ride or at least once a week. Most pumps come with pressure gauges to help you get the tyre to the perfect pressure.
Tightness of pedals and pegs
- Parts of the bike: Pedals, pegs
- Frequency: Before every ride
BMX bikes usually have pegs attached to the front and rear wheel hubs to help perform tricks. Before every ride, check that these pegs aren’t loose. Also check the pedals and crank to make sure they are the tight. This usually just requires a few turns of an Allen key to fix.
Alignment of chain and wheel
- Parts of the bike: Chain, chainring, rear wheel
- Frequency: Once a month
If the chain is too loose or too tight, it may cause jerks when you are pedalling. This may need realignment of the rear wheel. To do this, loosen it from the rear hub, pull the wheel back-and-forth until you get the perfect chain resistance, and then re-tighten the wheel in the correct position.
A ring spanner will come handy for this; they are usually made in sizes ranging 14 to 17, the size will correspond to the size of your BMX bike.
“Whenever I feel the chain is too loose, I check my rear tyre and tighten it by shifting it back. I carry an Allen key with me to parks (so I can fix things) before any mishaps,” says Prajwal Sagare.
Truing of spokes and wheel
Check the wheels for wobbles and truing problems
© Tyrone Bradley
- Parts of the bike: Spokes, nipple holder, wheel
- Frequency: Every two-three weeks
Spokes are connected to the rim of the wheel at the nipple holder. If the nipples are loose, it may throw off the truing of the wheel, which will cause the wheel to wobble. Rotate the wheel and look for where it wobbles closer to the fork; this will help you spot the loose nipple holders. Use a spoke wrench to tighten any loose spokes.
Cleaning the pedalling mechanism
- Parts of the bike: Bottom bracket, crank and chainring
- Frequency: Once a month
The bottom bracket and chainring (aka sprocket) take a lot of load. It is important to check these parts for regular damage; look for dents or cracks every time you inspect them. It is also important to take them apart to clean the bottom bracket, crank and chainring since they are also moving parts that collect dirt; re-grease once you are done. When you do this, also check that the bearings have not been damaged and replace if they have been.
“If I feel the crank is tight, I simply open it and grease the bearings properly. I like to do it every couple of months for longevity of my bike,” said Prajwal.
Wear and tear of brake pads
- Parts of the bike: Brake handles, cables, brake pads
- Frequency: Every two months
Most BMX riders opt to remove the brakes from their bikes. If you do retain your brakes, check that the brake handles are working fine, the cables aren’t too tight and the brake pads aren’t worn out.
