30 POINT BICYCLE SERVICE CHECK-IN PROCESS AT BUMSONTHESADDLE

Like at your doctors, the initial check-in procedure is one of the most important aspects of service. It’s critical that mechanics can have a clear service and usage history of your bicycle, clearly document all issues you’re currently facing and also accurately access your bike so that they can give you a high-quality service recommendation.

Here’s a high level 30 point checklist that we follow to ensure your bike has the best possible service experience. The check-in process is called a “M-check” because of how we access the bike – in the form of a BIG alphabet M.

WHEELS

1 QUICK RELEASE / THRU AXLE
Critical to ensure you’re wheel is safetly attached to the bike and to ensure your wheel is centered for effective braking and to prevent unnecessary rim/tire wear. Misaligned quick releases cause wheel drag and can aceclerate rim wear.

2 TRUENESS – RADIAL, LATERAL AND DISHING
Wheels over time can lose their trueness and require some level of work to keep the wheels straight and balanced which ensures effective braking and a stronger wheel

3 SPOKE TENSION
Spokes are under constant stress while you’re riding and checking spoke tension is critical to catch loose or damaged spokes

4 RIM BRAKING SURFACE
Checking the rim braking surface is critical to ensure your rim does not give way when you brake on your next ride. Since rim brakes work on friction there is constant rim wear and a regular check is essential

TIRE

5 TIRE WEAR
Tires are one of the most important aspects of a great ride ensuring the rider is safe, the ride is efficient and also prevent punctures

6 TIRE INFLATION
Well inflated tires reduce punctures, tire wear and also ensure your ride is efficient and comfortable

BRAKES

7 BRAKE SYSTEMS
Braking is critical to ensure your bike can stop when you want it to. Its important that braking is sharp and snappy with a good lever feel and effective braking power

8 BRAKE PAD / BRAKE SHOE
Worn brake pads or brake shoes not only accelerate wear of components, they can also drastically reduce braking effectiveness which might lead to safety issues

9 DISC BRAKE / ROTOR WEAR
Disc brake pads need a routine check to ensure there is no contamination, to check for wear and to ensure rotors are not worn

SUSPENSION

10 SUSPENSION SYSTEMS
Suspensions not only ensure you’re ride is comfortable but they also deliver a safer ride by providing better traction on uneven terrain. There are a lot of moving parts in a suspension which all last longer and ride better when taken care of

11 STANCHIONS
The sliding mętallic parts of your suspension are called Stanchions and taking care of these will ensure a smoother operation and a longer life

12 SUSPENSION SEALS
Seals ensure the lubrication inside the suspension does not get contaminated with dirt and need to be cleaned regularly

DRIVETRAIN

13 CHAIN WEAR
Chains wear over time, especially when they are not taken care of. Work chain destroy other components that they mesh with resulting in expensive replacements

14 CASSETTE WEAR
Cassettes also wear over time because of constant use and can result in bad shifting, chain slipping which can make the ride unsafe for you!

15 CRANK WEAR
Cranks don’t wear away as fast, but since this is an expensive component keeping a close eye on the crank is an important task

16 PEDALS
Most people don’t pay attention to pedals, but all our power is transferred via the pedal and we need to ensure there is no lay or grinding noise while we power our ride

17 FRONT DERAILLEUR SETUP & SHIFTING
A close eye on shifting and shifting components not only deliver flawless shifting but also ensure we prevent unnecessary wear with preventive maintenance

18 REAR DERAILLEUR SETUP & SHIFTING
A close eye on shifting and shifting components not only deliver flawless shifting but also ensure we prevent unnecessary wear with preventive maintenance

19 FRONT DERAILLEUR / REAR DERAILLEUR
The derailleur itself needs regular checkups to ensure the plates and jockey wheels are well lubricated and to ensure there is no play. We check for perfectly snappy shifting

20 SHIFTERS
Constant accumulation of dirt deteriorates shifting performance and can slowly wear away expensive parts

21 HANGER
A quick visual check to ensure your hanger, a fuse component, is straight. This will ensure your shifting is spot on and will also ensure there is no component failure while you are out riding

BEARINGS

22 HEADSET BEARING
Bearings are critical components of your ride and require attention at regular intervals. We check for grinding, play and if a flush of the old grease is required. Bearing work also requires a well-trained hand, good quality tools and precise work application

23 WHEEL/HUB BEARINGS
Apart from what we mentioned above, Hub bearings are one of the most used parts of the bike and require the most level of attention. Almost all bikes that come to us require some level of wheel hub work resulting in an immediately smoother ride. Bearings can be grinding because of worn parts, contamination and lack of lubrication. Hub play is another common issue.

24 BOTTOM BRACKET BEARINGS
Bottom brackets need a routine check, a cleanup and reapplication of fresh grease to ensure the hardy bearings don’t freeze up inside the frame. We typically check for play and if any work is required in this area

25 SUSPENSION PIVOT BEARINGS
We check for play and grinding in suspension bearings.

MISCILLANEOUS CHECKS

26 SADDLE SYSTEM
A quick check to ensure saddle rails are all straight, that your saddle is safe to ride and not lop sided and to also ensure the seat post is perfectly ok

27 LOOSE PARTS
A quick check for loose parts will ensure we catch problems on the bike even before they manifest as bigger issues.

28 CABLES
Cables are constantly being used to actuate braking and shifting. Rusted cables inside grimey housing almost always lead to bad braking and bad shifting.

29 CABLE HOUSING
Housing typically gets clogged up with dust, grime and dirty water – all leading to bad shifting and ineffective braking. A quick check will allow you to instantly upgrade your shifting performance and add additional braking safety on your ride

30 FRAME CHECK
Run a quick check on critical sections of the frame to ensure there are no cracks present. This is especially critical if your bike has been in an accident, if you had a fall or if there was any impact on the frame.

Thats it folks! Super simple but extremely effective. Our mechanics are trained to run thru this checklist to ensure we do a fantastic job on your bike.

Soumya Chatterjee

I am a hardcore mountain biker and enjoy Downhill racing. My hometown is in Kolkata and I am in Bangalore because of the fantastic cycling scene in the city and love it here.

I absolutely love working on all bikes, especially on components which experience the highest amount of wear and tear. I feel extremely proud when I can extend component life by understanding technology, apply mechanical fundamentals and work my magic on them. I am the go-to guy for anything related to service and repair of suspensions in India. You’re guaranteed to have the best solution! Working as a Bike Mechanic at BUMSONTHESADDLE allows me to work on some of the best bikes in the country.

Discipline: Mountain Biking & Downhill Racing
Current Bike: Scott Ransom
Dream Bike: Specialized S-WORKS Enduro