The Complete Bike Maintenance Schedule (Weekly, Monthly and Yearly)
A simple bike maintenance schedule: quick checks before every ride, a wipe-and-lube weekly, a closer look monthly, and a full service once or twice a year — adjusted for how many miles you actually ride.
There's no single "right" maintenance schedule for every bike, because the thing that wears a bike out is miles ridden in bad conditions, not weeks on the calendar. But there is a sensible default rhythm that keeps almost any bike safe, quiet, and cheap to run. Here it is, from the checks you do in seconds to the jobs you do once a year.
The schedule at a glance
| Interval | What to do |
|---|---|
| Before every ride | Check tire pressure, squeeze the brakes, glance at the chain (the "ABC check") |
| Weekly / every 100–150 mi | Wipe down and re-lube the chain; check tire pressure properly |
| Monthly | Clean the drivetrain; check brake pads; inspect tires for cuts and wear; check that bolts are tight |
| Every 3–6 months | Deep clean; check chain wear with a tool; inspect cables and housing; check wheel trueness |
| Twice a year | Full service if you ride regularly — bearings, spokes, cables, brakes |
| Annually | At minimum, one full professional service; replace cables and worn wear parts |
If you ride more than ~100 miles a week, or ride a lot in rain, mud, dust, or salt, halve these intervals. Grit is what kills drivetrains.
Before every ride: the ABC check
Thirty to sixty seconds, every time, catches most of what ends rides early. A is for Air — properly inflated tires prevent flats and pinch punctures. B is for Brakes — squeeze both levers and make sure they bite. C is for Chain (and cranks and cassette) — a clean, lubed chain that isn't skipping. There's a full pre-ride ABC checklist here.
Weekly: keep the chain happy
The chain is the part you'll touch most. A clean, lubed chain shifts better, lasts longer, and doesn't grind money off your cassette. For most riders a weekly wipe-and-lube does the job; heavy-mileage or wet-weather riders need it more often. See how often to lube your chain and how often to clean it.
Monthly: the closer look
Once a month, go over the bike properly: degrease and clean the drivetrain, check brake pads for wear, look over the tires for cuts and squared-off tread, and make sure nothing has rattled loose. This is where you catch small problems before they strand you.
Seasonally and yearly: the wear parts
Some parts don't need attention often, but do need replacing eventually — and knowing when is the hard part. The big ones:
- Chain — at 0.75% wear, roughly every 2,000–3,000 miles. When to replace a chain →
- Brake pads — when the friction material runs low. When to replace brake pads →
- Tires — when the tread squares off or the casing shows. When to replace tires →
- Cables — when shifting gets vague, usually yearly. When to replace cables →
- Cassette & chainrings — every 2–3 chains. When to replace a cassette →
For the full picture of how long each part lasts, see how long bike parts last.
The honest version: ride by miles, not months
Every "monthly" and "yearly" line above is a stand-in for a mileage number, because miles are what actually wear a bike out. The rider who does 30 miles a week and the one who does 150 will hit every replacement point months apart — even though the calendar says the same thing to both.
That's what Pedal Wrencher is for. It connects to Strava, counts the real miles on each bike, and emails you when a specific part is due — chain, cables, pads, tires — based on distance, not a guess. It turns this whole schedule from "something I should get around to" into "the right nudge at the right mile."
Frequently asked questions
How often should you do bike maintenance?
Check tire pressure and brakes before every ride, clean and lube the chain about weekly (or every 100-150 miles), give the bike a closer inspection monthly, and book a full professional service once or twice a year. Riders who cover more miles or ride in bad weather should shorten every interval.
How often should a bike be serviced professionally?
Once a year for a casual rider, twice a year if you ride regularly, and every few months if you're putting in high mileage or riding in wet and muddy conditions. A professional service catches bearing, spoke, and cable wear that's hard to judge yourself.
What maintenance does a bike need?
The recurring jobs are: keeping tires inflated, cleaning and lubing the chain, checking brake pads, and replacing wear parts (chain, cassette, cables, tires, bar tape) as they reach the end of their life. Most of it is quick; the trick is doing it on time.
Is bike maintenance based on time or miles?
Miles, mostly. A chain wears by distance and load, not by the calendar — 2,000 dry road miles is nothing like 2,000 winter miles. That's why mileage-based reminders beat 'every spring' rules of thumb.