Okay, you all have your bicycles at the ready and are set to begin this tune up, right? Great! First, we’ll be doing a diagnosis.

The diagnosis is important to a shop mechanic for obvious reasons. The mechanic doesn’t know your bike! He/she needs a little time to familiarize themselves with your rig, to be able to run their eyes over it, and to operate it’s various systems. Now you, on the other hand, probably already know what is wrong with your rig, but there are still a few things you can check over that will help you in tuning up your own bicycle.

Look It Over!: You might be surprised at what you will find right away if you really look over your bike. Look it over thoroughly, underneath, from the front, from the back. Notice if there is anything that looks odd. Make a note of it. This is a great time to inspect your tires, your cable housings, and your cables. Maybe you saddle is torn or bent, maybe you have a crack in that shifter housing. Perhaps you never noticed all that rust on your frame before? Well, looking over your bike first is a great place to start and to help you zero in on problems before you really get started.

Drop Test: The “Drop Test” is a little thing I do when I am looking for loose parts on a bicycle. The “Drop Test” is easy to perform. Simply grasp the bike by the saddle with one hand and the stem with the other hand. Pick up the bike about an inch off the ground and drop it down onto it’s tires. Keep your hands near the saddle and stem so you can catch the bike before it falls completely over. Did you hear any klunks, loud rattles, or noises not related to the chain bouncing around. Yes? Not sure where the noise was coming from? You can perform the drop test again to zero in on what you may have heard. Sometimes you can zero in on loose wheel bearings, loose headsets, or a loose kickstand by doing this test.

Hang’em High!: Now you are ready to put your bicycle up in what ever it is you have to get the wheels off the ground. I’ll be using an actual repair stand. If you are using a repair stand or other apparatus that includes some sort of clamp, here’s a couple things that you should know.

#1: Clamps can crush frame tubing. Be very careful! In fact, I would not do any sort of clamping on a frame with a repair stand, preferring the seat post instead. You may have to extend the seat post a bit to allow for your clamp to grasp the seat tube. Usually very little clamp pressure is required to hold your bicycle steady enough to work on, especially if your repair stand base is solid.

#2: Clamps can mar frame decals, or even remove them! This is important if your frame isn’t clear coated, or has decals over the clear coat. Again, try not to clamp onto a frame in the first place, but if you have to, be very careful of frame deacls. You may want to wrap the clamp surface in a terry cloth rag first, so the paint or decals won’t be as easily damaged. Also, use minimal clamping pressure!

#3: A Note To Fixed Gear Cyclists: It is super easy to run a rag, clothing, or worse, a finger through a chain ring with a chain engaged on it. This is a very dangerous drivetrain to work on! Pay attention, or pay the price! You would be amazed at how easily a finger can be chopped off by a fixed gear drive train!

Basic Operations Check: Now that you have the bicycle up there, grab a pedal and start cranking it. Shift through the gears, (if so equipped), and operate the brakes. Look at the rear wheel as it spins around. Spin the front wheel and check the brakes. Notice if the wheels wobble. See if the shifting is crisp, and spontaneous. Lots of wobbles? Making a lot of noise when you select a gear? Well, that’s what we’re here for! To fix this bicycle up! Make a note of each thing you see or hear on a pad of paper. You don’t want to forget anything!

Next time, more Diagnosis. Stay tuned!