How To Care For Your Bike
Mountain biking is a great activity to get a full body workout in while also enjoying the outdoors. It is important to take care of your bike so that every ride is as smooth as it can be. We asked a few Liberty Mountain employees about how they care for their bikes.
Jenny Moyer is the Sales Representative for the Northest and Midwest. Although she has only been mountain biking for about 2 1/2 years, she has riden a lot of miles and in a lot of different places. Her favorite thing about mountain biking is when you're in the flow state on a fast downhill. She likes feeling connected to the bike and her surrounding and notes that each move you make is critical to your success.
Jackson Schor is a Buyer. He has been biking for as long as he can remember! He enjoys biking because you can cover a lot of ground in beautiful places, it provides great community, and it is a great way to recover from other activities.
Bridget Miller is the Director of Marketing. She has been mountain biking for 3 years and has been loving every minute of it! She loves how challenging biking can be with different types of terrain. It is a great way to go and explore new places and cover a ton of ground. She also believes that one of the best experiences is flowing down a trail.
Do you have a favorite biking trail or biking memory?
Jenny: I recently got back from a trip to Bellingham, and the Galbraith trails are phenomenal! I definitely wish they were my local trails. I'm also a big fan of Kingdom Trails in Vermont, Bent Creek in North Carolina, and Carvins Cove in Virginia.
Jackson: Gooseberry Mesa in Southern Utah and Kingdom Trails in Northern Vermont.
Bridget: Teton Canyon in Driggs is so much fun. I also love riding in Park City, Utah. There are so many great trails to choose from!
What products do you use to care for your bike?
Jenny: My go-to wash is the Muc-Off Nano Tech Concentrate. I use it every time I wash my bike and it helps wash off all the dirt and mud that exists in the rainy Northest! After washing my bike, I'll apply the Muc-Off Wet Lube to help keep my bike running smoothly. Whenever I need to do a complete deep clean, I use the Muc-Off Bio Degreaser because it gets all the junk off the gears and makes shifting like it's a new cassette! To get into all the nookes and crannies of the bike where I can't fit a regular sized brush, I use the Muc-Off Claw Brush. It is perfect for scraping off junk from the cassette and sprockets. For doing bike maintenance, the Topeak Prepstand Pro Bicycle Repair Stand is a game changer! It is very nice having your bike at face level while working on it.
Jackson: The Muc-Off Dry Lube is the king of all chain lubes! For the super dusty trails here in Utah, it does an amazing job keeping dust and gunk off of your chain. I also like to use the Muc-Off Protect Spray when I want to make my bike look shiny. When I need to seal new tires or refresh old tire sealant, I always the Muc-Off No Puncture Sealant. This stuff seems to be a bit thicker than competitors sealant, and tends to do a better job at sealing larger punctures and tears.
Bridget: The Muc-Off Punk Powder Bike Wash is the best! It gets all of the dirt and grime off quick and painless! I love that they have a reusable bottle and refillable Punk Powder to reduce the amount of plastic used when having to buy a new bottle every time one runs out. In between a full cleaning day I'll use Muc-Off Waterless Wash. The 3X Premium Brush Kit from Muc-Off has every kind of brush that I need. I love the big brush to quickly wipe my frame down, and the smaller brushes for my drive train and chain. I love using the Muc-Off Drivetrain Cleaner after a dusty ride because it's a quick way to get all the dirt off.
How often do you do maintenance on your bike?
Jenny: I try to wash my bike after each time I ride, especially if it's muddy or dusty, but if I'm being honest, that doesn't always happen. Anytime I get a new part, something feels off, or I want my boyfriend (aka in-house bike mechanic) to look at it, I'll give it the full treatment.
Jackson: I will do minor maintenance every few weeks, such as cleaning up the frame, lubing the chain, and refreshing the tubeless sealant. Once a year I will do a full tune with new break pads and derailleur adjustments at the shop. Other than that, I ride until something is wrong!
Bridget: I like to do a quick wash each week and a full-blown maintenance session every two weeks. Every spring, I make sure to do a huge overall of my brakes, chain, tire check, sealant refill, etc.
Wherever the trails take you, we hope you have fun mountain biking! Don't forget to share your adventures with us @libmtn.