Psyched to take advantage of the crisp fall air with a bike ride? Before hitting the streets, make sure every bit of that faithful steed is prepped and ready to go. A regular tune-up keeps bicycles safe, steady, and trouble-free. Without having to spend time and money at the repair shop, imagine the places you’ll go! Here’s a checklist of the top five bike maintenance skills that every cyclist — from training wheel-maven to Tour de France beast — should know. Illustration by Shannon Orcutt First off, every cyclist should own a basic toolkit to deal with possible mid-ride breakdowns. Make sure to include a bike tire pump with a built-in pressure gauge, Torque and regular wrenches, tire levers, spare inner tubes, a tire patch kit, a chain tool and a few extra links, and lubricant. Look for miniature versions to lighten the load!) If and when something goes wrong (as they inevitably do), be sure to always start with a scrub-down. Trying to tighten bolts on a muddy or wet frame is a recipe for frustration;

so make sure everything’s clean and shiny before getting the wrenches out. For inexperienced cyclists, fixing a bike at home (or out on the road) can seem outright impossible. Here is Greatist’s guide to the top five most common bike repairs.Check the tire pressure before looking for holes. To make sure the tires are inflated correctly, find the intended air pressure range for each tire, which is usually printed on the smooth side of the tire (not the treads). Use a bike pump with a built-in tire pressure gauge to find the sweet spot. And unless exploding tires sounds like a fun time, avoid gas station air pumps, which are very powerful and can easily blow out smaller bicycle wheels. If the tires start sagging right away, it’s time to deal with a puncture. It’s a good idea to always travel with a spare inner tube, just in case. Here are six steps to get bike wheels bouncing again. *Note: if you’re unlucky or just unprepared and don’t have a spare inner tube, a patch is the way to go.

The process is pretty similar; instead of grabbing a new tube find the hole by gently inflating the inner tube, slap on a patch, and stick the repaired tube back into the tire. Sometimes patches don’t stick well to high-pressure road bike tires, so this is definitely a short-term solution for a tire puncture. Total Money Saved: Up to $15. Inner tubes cost around $10, while a patch kit will set you back roughly five bucks. Mechanics charge for the materials, plus about $20 for labor. A slipped-off chain can turn a pleasant jaunt into a ride from hell. But putting the chain back on is pretty simple and requires no tools at all! Here’s what to do: If the chain keeps falling off, it’s probably too long for the bike frame. To remove extra chain links, or to fix a broken chain, check out these further instructions: Total Money Saved: $15-$40. A very basic chain tool goes for $15, although more expensive models can run you $100 and up. Many bike shops will replace a slipped or broken chain with a brand-new one, which can get pricey.

Even if the tune-up just re-attaches the old chain, expect to pony up for the cost of labor. Bicycles are held together entirely by nuts and bolts, so before heading out on a two-wheeled jaunt, make sure all hardware is secure — but not too tight. The main problem areas are the handlebars, stem, and seat post, where pressure and friction can loosen bolts. Overtightening can round the bolts and ruin the threads on the bike, making for a pricey repair job. Houses For Sale Aisthorpe Road SheffieldInstead, invest in a torque wrench, which is super-accurate and takes the guesswork out of tuning. Running Shoes HelstonThese wrenches have measurements so the user can control the amount of force applied. Kittens For Sale Albany New York

Check in the bike’s manual for information about bolt tightening, and then attach everything correctly the first time. Once the bolts are torqued, leave them alone! There’s no need to re-tighten every ride, or even every week — just keep an eye (and an ear) out for loose or rattling parts. Total Money Saved: At least $10. A Torque wrench is an investment — the cheapest models go for around $30. It costs around $20 a pop to replace stripped nuts and rounded bolts — the math doesn't lie. As everyone who has ever had a hand-me-down bike knows, there’s nothing worse than dealing with a stuck seat that is too high or too low. The first step is to loosen the binder all the way and remove the collar and bolt. Soak the whole problem area with WD-40 and leave it alone overnight so the spray can work its magic. If the seat still won’t budge, grip the saddle and try to twist the post free. If it’s still stuck, get a clamp and some pliers and start twisting and pulling the pieces apart.

Want to avoid this problem altogether? To prevent a sticky situation, keep the post and tube clean and well greased. Mark the right height on the post with electrical tape, and then remove it from the tube. Wipe down the post and tube with a clean rag, slather some grease in the tube and on the post, and put everything back together. Total Money Saved: $15. The materials for this quick fix (wrenches, WD-40, and pliers) cost around $10 bucks each, and most people already have them on hand. After a season of cycling adventures in rain, mud, and sleet, a road bike’s handlebars can get gummy, stinky, and worn out, making for an unpleasant cycling experience. Luckily, rewrapping the handlebars in fresh new tape is a breeze! Start by peel off that nasty old tape, using scissors if it gets stuck. Most tape kits come with two extra scraps of tape — stick those under both brake levers so there’s no gap between the brake apparatus and the handlebar. Take the tape and start on the bottom of the dropped end of the handlebar, with the edge of the tape on the underside.

Wrap up and over the top of the handlebar tightly and smoothly in a clockwise direction. Make sure to overlap the edges as you go so there are no spaces in the wrapping. When you get to the brake levers, flip the plastic covers up and wrap carefully around the handlebar — because the tape scraps are already on that part of the bike, there should be no gap in the tape. Cut off the tape when one side is covered in tape to the center point of the handlebars and secure the edge by wrapping it once or twice around with electrical tape. Repeat the process on the other side, and hit the road! Total Money Saved: $5-$10. The cost will vary depending on the brand and style of handlebar tape, but a mechanic will usually charge around $20 for the work.Find a professional if these common solutions don’t do the trick or when dealing with a specific problem. A good bike shop has the right equipment and knowledgeable mechanics to solve more complicated conundrums. Repairing a bicycle at home sounds scary, but the most common problems are easy to fix with just a few tools.