This month we’re looking at basic mountain bike maintenance, including how to replace a wheel, fit pedals, lubricate a chain, and more.

There are a few simple procedures, tasks and techniques that we all need to know how to do — even those who aren’t interested in taking on big jobs. Fitting a set of pedals, lubricating a chain, fitting a wheel and knowing when and how to use grease, anti-seize, Loctite and a torque wrench are all simple enough, but they’re also really important. Without basic knowledge of these foundation skills, we are doomed to failure from the start — and we lay ourselves open to ridicule in trail centre car parks by looking like total numpties.

We can’t cover everything in one short video, that’s for sure, but there are a few nuggets here that most will be able to benefit from. It astounds me how frequently I see riders getting things wrong, and it’s frustrating to see things get messed up unnecessarily, especially when there’s some seriously expensive bicycle parts, not to mention a rider’s personal safety, on the line.

For the full article on this subject, see January’s MBR, on sale December 11.