How to Stop Your Bike from Creaking After Sitting All Winter

As a bike guide I've noticed that few things make my guests more irritable and angry than a squeaky bike on a long ride. While a squeak may not compromise the quality of your riding experience in terms of exertion or safety, it can certainly make the journey become more about simply getting to the destination so you don't have to hear that godforsaken noise anymore.

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In order to save your ears and your ride, this simple and informative video by the Global Mountain Bike Network will show you exactly how to identify what is squeaking or creaking on your bike and what you'll likely need to do to fix it. With bike season right around the corner this video might be a good one to bookmark for the future. 

As most of our bikes have been sitting in garages, sheds or basements for the past few months, likely going through dramatic temperature changes and receiving very little TLC, you'll probably have a creak or five on your first ride of the season. Maybe your plan is to ride so hard you can't hear them, or pound out some gangsta rap from a giant speaker in your backpack. While both options are mostly acceptable (sort of), remember that the sooner you fix the creak, the sooner you can be pissed off at the other people blasting loud music in your quiet space. Or, at least you'll have more freedom to pick music based on its quality versus its ability to drown out the dreaded eeee-rr--ee noise.