Bicycle Repair & Maintenance

Bicycle repair and maintenance covers the parts and kit that keep a bike safe and rideable: tyres and inner tubes, pumps, brake cables, saddles, grips, lights, helmets, cleaners and degreasers, brushes, and tools such as multi-tools, tyre levers and crank removers.

Tyres and inner tubes

Tyre sizes appear in three forms on the sidewall: inches (such as 26 x 1.95 inch), French sizing (such as 700 x 23C) and the ETRTO size, which is the clearest. An ETRTO size of 50-559 means a tyre 50mm wide for a rim 559mm across. Several different rim sizes are all called 26 inch, so check the ETRTO figure on the old tyre before replacing it.

Choose an inner tube that covers your tyre size and has the right valve for the hole in the rim:

• Schrader: the same type of valve used on car tyres, with a wider body.
• Presta: a slimmer valve with a locking tip, common on road bikes.

Make sure your pump head fits the valve type. Self-sealing tubes and puncture protection tyres help reduce flats.

Lights and visibility

At night, a bike must have a white front light and a red rear light switched on, plus a red rear reflector and, on bikes made after 1 October 1985, amber pedal reflectors. Riding where there are no street lights, a steady front light is recommended rather than a flashing one.

Cleaning and adjustment

Use a bike cleaner and soft brushes on the frame and a degreaser on the chain and gears, then re-lubricate the chain. Disc brakes have their own brake cleaner. Helmets are sized by head circumference, so measure before choosing.

For chain lubricants and degreasers, see oil and fluids, or browse the wider automotive range.