Beginner's Guide: Six Ways to Give Your Old Bicycle a New Life

However, over time, your bike may start to age and you may start to long for a shiny new one. But buying is not always the only answer, and this article has some handy ways to bring new life to your cycling.

1. Replace tires

Tire rubber will wear and harden over time. New tires and brake pads can completely transform a bike.

When was the last time you replaced your bike's tires? If it's a road bike, are they starting to flatten out in the center and develop fine cracks? If it's a mountain bike, are the teeth on the tires still intact?

Aside from the obvious wear and tear, the rubber in your tires will harden over time. Nothing brings life to a bike like a new set of tires.

For road cyclists, do the frame and fork provide enough room to mount thicker tires? Why not experience a smoother, more controlled ride with thicker tires?

Aggressive mountain bikers will wear or tear the side tread before the center tread is worn down

Similarly, for mountain bikers, the current trend is that wider tires are better when off-road. 2.25-inch wide tires no longer look strange on a mountain bike.

While changing tires, if it's an open tire system, you may want to check your inner tubes and spokes along the way. After replacing the tires, check the brake skins on the bike. Uneven wear or rubber deterioration can cause a loss of braking efficiency and may even harm the rim.

Although disc brake users have lining pads that are not made of rubber, it is equally important to carefully check the life of the lining pads and for any uneven wear. Squealing brakes or lack of braking power are signs that they are contaminated, and it may be necessary to see if they need to be cleaned or replaced.

2. Replace the contact parts of the bicycle

It is often said that a new handlebar strap or handlebar cover will immediately rejuvenate the bike. This is certainly true, but don't neglect other contact points as well.

Take a bicycle saddle for example. Over time, the saddle padding and skin will lose the firmness, shape and support they once provided. If your saddle is crumbling in the middle, or has visible creases where the padding is, it's probably time to get yourself a new one.

The situation is similar with foot pedals. While most pedals have become more durable in recent years, some older cassette pedals, such as those purchased years ago, are now likely to be worn out and will make your foot rock in a way it shouldn't when you pedal.

For GINEYEA users, pedal repair and maintenance is relatively simple. All you need to do is use relatively simple tools and follow the factory instructions. Other brands of pedals may not be as easy, so check that brand's manual for details.

Then there are the locking tabs. When was the last time you replaced them? Have you forgotten what the wear indicators look like? A handy way to replace the locking tabs is to draw a circle on the outside of your old ones with a marker. This conveniently allows you to install the new locking tabs in exactly the same position as the old ones.

3. Replace the cable and cable core

Does your car have a stiff brake feel or erratic shifting problem? If so, it is often a problem with the cable and cable core. Replacing them with new ones will make everything work properly and feel comfortable and light again.

A worn, dirty or rusty wire line and core is like a clogged artery. It is not expensive to replace the entire bike's tubing and cores.

If the shifting is always sluggish and erratic, no matter how you adjust it, there is probably a problem with the tubing and core.

While there are some pretty fancy and expensive cable set options on the market, I prefer to use plain stainless steel cable tubes and cores and replace them more often.

The brake system is similar to the mechanical shifting system, but is usually less prone to problems with contaminated tubing and cores. I would probably replace the brake lineset in conjunction with every third gearshift line set change.

For those of you with hydraulic brakes, consider changing the brake fluid and venting. You will be amazed at how the brake response "pop" comes back.

4. Replace worn chains

Chains wear out at an alarming rate, so keep replacing them regularly and the rest of your drivetrain will last well.

After replacing the chain, you can do a complete drivetrain overhaul and upgrade. For example, as we get older, we may need to replace the 11-23 tooth flywheel on our bike with the popular 11-30 tooth flywheel.

5. Replace worn bearings

Bearings are found in the hubs, center shafts, bowlsets, and suspension pivots of mountain bike shocks. Many modern bikes use sealed bearings. When these bearings feel rough or have problems, the best solution is to replace them.

For hubs, I personally like to use the ABEC 5 steel bearings made by companies like Enduro. You will be surprised at the difference a quality bearing can make to the feel of your bike if you replace a worn bearing.

Just because they can't be seen doesn't mean they don't need attention

Replacing a headset bearing is usually relatively easy. If it's not an inner cable headset, all you need is an allen wrench. If you ride a lot in hot conditions, your sweat may cause the headset bearings to gradually rust.

Knowing this, preventative maintenance becomes very easy. Taking apart the handlebars, dropping the forks, and spraying some fresh grease every few months will keep your headset bearings in the condition they should be.

Then there's the bottom bracket. Personally, I check here whenever I take the crank off the bike to clean it. Rough rotation is a sign of wear, in addition to checking for side to side play or any squeaks.

If your bike has a press-in center shaft and doesn't have any of the above issues, then leave it alone. If it has a threaded bottom bracket, then I would be inclined to take it off, clean the surface, and apply a fresh coat of rust inhibitor before reinstalling it back on.

6. Repair the shock

If you are a mountain bike rider. Do you remember the last time you had your shock suspension serviced?

The oil inside the shock suspension system can degrade with time and use, which can greatly affect the performance of the product. In addition, neglecting these parts can lead to wear and tear. Compared to many other parts on a bike, this can cost a lot of money to fix.

Regardless of the configuration of your shock suspension system, maintenance will always improve its performance

Shock manufacturers are always conservative with their recommended service intervals, Fox recommends a major service every 125 hours of use, RockShox recommends a similar service every 100 hours.

Keeping your waterproof seals clean will make your shock suspension system last longer.
All of the above are ways you can rejuvenate your bike. You can do them every other day and feel the changes in your cycling in real time, all of which can make for a better riding experience.