Cycler Guide publishes general information about bikes, maintenance, gear and riding. It is written to help you make better decisions — but it is not professional advice, and it cannot see your bike.
Please read this page before you act on anything here, especially anything involving tools.
This is general information, not advice for your specific bike
Guides published here are written for a general audience. Your bike, your components, your model year, your riding conditions and your body are specific.
Two bikes that look identical can use different standards, different torque specifications and different parts. A procedure that is correct for one is capable of damaging another.
Your manufacturer's manual for your exact model always outranks anything on this site. If the two disagree, follow the manufacturer.
Mechanical work: know where to stop
Plenty of bike maintenance is genuinely DIY — cleaning and lubing a chain, fixing a puncture, adjusting a seat height, checking tire pressure. That's the kind of thing this site is here to help with.
Some work is not DIY, and getting it wrong can put you in the hospital. Take the following to a qualified bike mechanic:
- Brakes — hydraulic bleeds, hose shortening, pad and rotor work, anything on a brake you are not certain about. Brakes are the system that stops you.
- Steering and front end — headsets, stems, handlebars, forks, and any suspension internals.
- Structural components — frames, seatposts, and anything carbon. Carbon parts fail suddenly rather than gradually, and they are torque-sensitive.
- Wheels — wheel building, spoke tension, and any wheel with damaged or loose spokes.
- Anything load-bearing you'd be guessing at. Guessing is the problem, not the part.
Torque matters. "Tight enough" is not a specification. Overtightening a carbon component can crack it; undertightening a stem bolt can let your handlebars rotate mid-ride. If a fastener has a torque figure, it needs a torque wrench and the manufacturer's number.
After any work on a safety-critical system, check it before you ride. Squeeze the brakes. Check the wheels are secure. Check nothing moves that shouldn't.
If you are in any doubt at all about whether a repair is safe, that doubt is your answer. See a mechanic.
Electric bikes
E-bikes add electrical and battery risk on top of mechanical risk.
- Do not open, modify, repair or attempt to rebuild a battery pack. Damaged lithium batteries are a genuine fire risk.
- Use the charger specified for your battery, and follow the manufacturer's charging and storage instructions.
- Motor, controller and wiring faults belong with the manufacturer or an authorized service center.
- E-bike classes, speed limits, power limits, age rules and where you're allowed to ride vary by state and by trail. Check your local rules — this site cannot tell you what they are.
Riding, health and safety
Cycling carries inherent risk. You ride at your own risk, and you are responsible for your own safety and for the condition of your bike.
- Traffic law varies by state and municipality. Nothing here is legal advice.
- Nothing here is medical advice. Pain, numbness, injury, or a fit problem that hurts belongs with a doctor or a qualified bike fitter — not a website. If you're hurt, see a professional.
- Wear appropriate protective equipment and follow the rules where you ride.
Products, prices and specifications
Product details on this site — prices, specifications, availability, model years — change constantly, and information here may be out of date by the time you read it.
Always confirm current details with the retailer or manufacturer before you buy. Cycler Guide does not sell products, and it does not control the price, stock, description or warranty of anything mentioned here. Any transaction is between you and the seller.
Cycler Guide is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or speaking for any bike manufacturer or brand mentioned on this site. Brand and product names belong to their owners and are used for identification only.
Third-party links
Articles here may link to other websites. Those sites are not under Cycler Guide's control, and linking to one is not an endorsement of everything on it. Their content and their privacy practices are their own.
Limitation of liability
Cycler Guide's material is provided "as is", without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including any warranty of accuracy, completeness or fitness for a particular purpose.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Cycler Guide accepts no liability for any loss, injury, damage or cost arising from the use of, or reliance on, anything published on this site. Decisions you make about your bike, your repairs, your purchases and your riding are your own.
Found something wrong?
If anything on this site is inaccurate or unsafe, please say so — errors get corrected. See the Contact page.