How to Tune Up Your Bike at Home

by Charlie LaNoue

3/1/2023

If your woom bike has been hibernating in the garage – or if it just arrived – it is time for a quick bike tune-up. Kids grow fast, and all bikes require regular bike maintenance to work properly. To ensure your bike (well, your kid’s bike) runs smoothly, we’ve compiled a list of tips to set up, adjust, and maintain your woom bike.

Dialing in the Fit

You’ll want to adjust the “fit” of your child’s bike for their safety, comfort, and performance. A quick test ride around the block can immediately reveal if you need to make any changes for a growing Rider. Getting the bike set up for your kid is the easiest and one of the most crucial parts of a proper bike tune-up.

The seat height is adjusted by opening the quick-release clamp or loosening the seat clamp screw on the seat post and sliding the saddle (a.k.a. seat) up or down. New Riders, such as kids on balance bikes or trying out a pedal bike for the first time, should be able to place their feet flat on the ground while seated. More experienced riders should have their leg roughly 85 percent extended at the bottom of the pedal stroke—this means they’ll be on their tiptoes when seated.

Note the minimum insertion point marked by a horizontal line on the seat post when adjusting the height. Do not extend the seat post past this mark, as this poses a safety risk. As your child grows and approaches the maximum seat height, they are likely due for their next size woom bike.

Reach is the horizontal distance from the bottom bracket to the head tube (or, in easier-to-understand terms, roughly how far away the handlebars are from the pedals). Reach can be adjusted on most adult bikes by changing the stem length.The current woom 4, woom 5, and woom 6 have a Vario stem, which adjusts to allow the bike to “grow” with your child (check out our video here!). On woom 2 and woom 3, parents can adjust the reach by tilting the handlebars forwards or backward. This adjustment can be made by loosening the bolt on the front of your stem. When seated, a Rider should be leaning forward slightly with their arms coming down at a 40-60 degree angle.

Adjust brake levers for smaller hands by tightening or loosening the reach adjustment screw. Tightening it will bring the brake lever closer to the handlebars. However, overtightening this screw could require an additional brake adjustment. The brake levers can be rotated up or down so that the Rider’s hands can comfortably reach them from a neutral position.

Looking for more information on adjusting your woom bike to accommodate your growing Rider? Check out our blog, “Watch your woom grow with your Rider.”

ABCD Check

A quick bike tune-up at home can be as easy as ABCD! Before every ride, give your child’s bike (and your own bike) a quick “ABCD” check—AIR, BRAKES, CHAIN, DROP TEST.

Check the brakes as part of your bike maintenance routine. An easy way to do this is by picking up each wheel, spinning the tire, and then pressing the brake lever, noting whether the brake pads are worn down or loose.

On our woom ORIGINALs, each model is outfitted with rim brakes that are connected to the levers with a steel cable. If the cable tension becomes too loose and the levers have to be squeezed excessively to engage the brake, then the barrel adjusters can be used to alter the brake cables and change the brake responsiveness. Check out our “Gimme a Brake” blog for a deep dive into rim brake issues.

If you own a woom UP, OFF, OFF AIR, or NOW, your bike has hydraulic disc brakes. The good news is: less day-to-day maintenance and more stopping power! However, on the flip side, there's a bit more to learn regarding troubleshooting disc brakes (when they eventually do need servicing).

Just like inflating your tires to the correct pressure, it is important to regularly clean and lubricate the bike’s chain. A dirty or dry chain will likely make some extra (unusually unpleasant) noise when in motion and slow down the Rider.

Luckily, removing the chain isn’t necessary to give it a deep clean. The often-forgotten first step is to wipe down the chain before applying any lubricant. An old funky toothbrush can assist in removing road debris from the gaps between the chainlinks. After cleaning the chain, apply a high-quality chain lubricant onto each chainlink (rotate the pedal with one hand and apply the lubricant onto each chainlink with the other) and wipe off any excess lubricant with a clean rag. Depending on the season, the climate in your area, and how your child rides their bike, you may choose to use a wet or a dry lubricant.

We know this one might sound crazy, but it’s legit and helpful. Carefully lift your bike by the seat and handlebars about six inches off the ground, drop it, and catch it before it falls over. If you heard any rattles or loose parts, it’s likely the case something isn’t properly tightened. An Allen key set, along with a screwdriver, is all you’ll need.

When taking a more in-depth look—some key things to look for are a loose stem, headset, wheels (either wheel bolts or quick-release skewer), and chain. If you have a bike with a derailleur (woom 4, woom 5, woom 6, woom OFF, woom OFF AIR, or woom UP), you’ll also want to periodically “run through the gears” of the bike, making sure that it’s shifting well. If you cannot locate the source of an unusual bike noise, don’t hesitate to ask a local bike shop bike mechanic.

Tires - What to Do About Flats

Getting a flat tire is inevitable somewhere down the road, but with an ounce of prevention, it will be a rare event. The good news is that most “flat tires” don’t require a new tire – just a new tube. Before we cover how to replace a flat tube, here are a few pointers on how to avoid flats in the first place.

Preventing Flats Before They Occur:

When you’re already doing a quick “ABCD” bike tune-up, pay special attention to the tires — both the pressure and the surface of the tire itself. Periodically check that your child’s tires aren’t worn out and smooth (a good sign is that there’s ample tread), and also, check that there’s no debris stuck in the tire, like small pieces of gravel or glass. Be sure to keep a bike pump handy and inflate tires to the proper pressure before riding. And, of course, if you spot broken glass or other debris, instruct your child to avoid riding in that area.

If your tire is flat at the start of a ride, the tube may have fallen victim to a slow leak and need replacement. However, if it’s been a long time since you used the bike, you might just need to reinflate the tires. An easy way to check is to inflate the tire and leave it overnight, and if it doesn’t feel softer in the morning, roll on!

Occasionally you’ll have the bad luck of running over a nail or sharp object that pokes far enough through the tire to make a hole in the tube inside. A puncture can cause a tire to slowly go flat (even long after your bike is back in the garage), or it can deflate the tire immediately with a loud “whooooosh.” Other times there’s no sudden noise or dramatic result, just the “thwap thwap thwap” of a flat and floppy tire on the pavement. You’ll most likely need to patch or replace the damaged tube rather than replace the tire itself.

Determine the Cause of the Flat:

When you have a puncture, you’ll want to start by determining what caused the hole if you can. If there’s a small piece of glass still stuck in the tire, for example, replacing the tube without removing it will mean you’ll likely have another flat quickly. Also, check the tire’s condition; if the puncture has caused significant damage or if the tire's surface is old and worn, replace the tire and the tube. For an in-depth examination of causes, solutions, and preventative measures, check out our blog, “Tires, Tubes, Flats: Everything You Need to Know!”.

Replacing the Tube:

To replace a tube, first, remove the wheel from the bike and then remove the tire from the wheel using tire levers or your hands. Next, remove the old tube, see if you can determine where the puncture occurred, and remove any remaining debris. Replace with a new tube of the appropriate size (tube sizes are labeled by wheel diameter), and inflate the tube slightly. Putting a little bit of air into it with a pump makes fitting it into the tire easier. Lay the tube inside the tire, work the tire back onto the rim using the tire levers or your hands, and inflate the tire. Getting the last section of tire bead over the rim can be difficult — we have found that most bike shops are happy to assist if you get stuck trying to fix it on your own! For video tutorials on fixing flats and links to replacement products, check out our FAQ page on fixing flats.

Cleaning Your Bike

After your child is set up and riding, we recommend regularly washing your bike. It will help keep it in good working order and make its components last much longer. Check out our “How to Clean Your Bike” article, where we have outlined a simple process that can be used for washing almost any bike — just be sure not to directly spray down your rear derailleur!