The season is in full swing and by now, you’ve probably racked up some solid miles on your race bike. But have you checked whether your setup is still optimised for speed, efficiency and most importantly, reliability?
Small issues, like a dirty, worn drivetrain, an out-of-tune derailleur, or even an inefficient bike fit, can cost you precious minutes on race day. Worse still, avoidable issues can render your bike useless if something fails completely, ruining your triathlon and leaving you with a long walk back to transition.
Here is our quick list of five things you need to check to make sure your bike is as good as it can be and reliable for race day. Let’s go!
Is your drivetrain in good order?
A dirty, worn-out drivetrain creates resistance, making you work harder for the same speed. It also looks bad, wears quicker if left dirty and caused poor quality shifting
Check: Chain stretch, cassette wear and bottom bracket smoothness.
Fix: Deep clean or replace worn parts; consider using dry lube for summer riding.
Are your tyres slowing you down?
Worn tyres or incorrect pressure can lead to less grip, increased rolling resistance and more punctures.
Check: Tread wear, sidewall cracks and tire pressure. If running tubeless, when did you last check or top you tyre sealent?
Fix: Swap to fresh race-day tires and optimise PSI for conditions. Check out the Silca tyre pressure calculator here
Check your brakes?
Braking power and modulation decline with worn pads and cables/hydraulic fluid degradation. Spongy or long travel on your brake lever? Time to check the system!
Check: Pad thickness, cable tension (or hydraulic bleed) and alignment.
Fix: Replace pads, adjust tension and ensure smooth operation. If you don’t know how to bleed brakes, take you bike to a professional.
Avoid the ring of death!
Check: Headset bearings can wear overtime and cause serious damage to your carbon fork steerer which can be very costly to fix, let along dangerous if the for then fails. The issue can be made worse by riding with a loose headset.
Fix: Replace headset bearings as soon as any movement is detected.
Check your bolts
Bolts that hold your bike together can and do come loose over time
Check: Go over all whole bike checking bolts, ideally with a torque wrench.
Fix: Replace bolts which are showing signs of wear, in particular any blots which have started to round off.
