Don't Wait for Spring: Get Your Post-Season Service for Winter Prep

Don't Wait for Spring: Get Your Post-Season Service for Winter Prep

The dry trails, long rides, and bike park laps of summer are behind us, and the rain is back in the Pacific Northwest. Here in Issaquah, this is the time riders bring their mountain, gravel, and road bikes in for end-of-season service to prepare them for the wet, gritty months ahead. Whether you spent the season riding local trails, logging miles at the bike park, exploring gravel, or commuting, your bike has seen a full season of use. Now is the best time to get ahead of wear. Not only does a thorough post-season service save you money down the road, but it also makes your bike feel brand new for your winter rides. This is the perfect time to bring your bike in before the spring rush and get it riding like it should.

Why Service Your Bike NOW?

• Money Saver: Replacing a $45 chain now can save a $255 cassette later. Prevent small wear issues from becoming expensive repairs.

• Ride Better: Restore your bike's original power, consistency, and small-bump sensitivity for your next ride.

• Beat the Rush: Our shortest turnaround times are in the fall and winter, letting you skip the long spring service queue.

What Happens to Your Bike After a Heavy Season

Brake Fluid: Consistent Power and Reliability

What’s hiding inside your brake lines: old fluid absorbs moisture and breaks down over time, affecting performance.

Hydraulic brakes work hard every ride. Whether you’re running Shimano, SRAM, or Magura brakes, the fluid inside your brake system slowly changes over time, and you won’t see that just by looking at the levers or calipers.

DOT fluid systems (SRAM, Hayes, etc.) absorb moisture through seals and hoses. As moisture builds, the fluid’s boiling point drops. Under heavy braking like long descents or bike park laps, that fluid can start to vaporize or foam, which leads to soft or inconsistent lever feel.

Mineral oil systems (Shimano, Magura, etc.) don’t absorb moisture in the same way, but the oil still breaks down from repeated heat cycles. Over time, contamination builds up, viscosity changes, and the lever feel gradually fades.

This happens slowly, so most riders don’t notice until after a bleed and flush. A fresh bleed restores lever feel, power, and consistency.

Suspension: Maintain Smoothness and Protect Internals

Hidden wear adds up: pull the dropper annually to clean and re-grease the post and seat tube.

Suspension performance usually fades gradually. By the end of a long riding season, most riders have easily hit the kind of hours that call for a full rebuild.

Suspension fluid doesn’t last forever. Every ride heats it up, cools it down, and pushes it through tight spaces. Over time it breaks down, loses damping consistency, and picks up fine dust and grit. That creates more friction and accelerates wear inside the fork and shock. Forks and shocks from brands like Fox, RockShox, and Marzocchi benefit from regular service to keep performance consistent.

If you’ve been riding hard all summer, you’re well into the hours where a rebuild makes a big difference.

A full rebuild at the end of the season:

• Replaces all seals

• Flushes out old, broken-down fluid

• Restores small-bump sensitivity and overall control

• Protects expensive suspension internals

Many riders are surprised by how big the performance difference is after a full suspension service. It often feels like a brand-new bike.

Drivetrain Wear: The Most Important Money-Saving Fix

Freehubs, cassettes, and chains wear quietly until they don’t.

Your drivetrain quietly wears down with every ride. As a chain wears, it no longer meshes perfectly with the cassette. That small mismatch creates extra friction, which makes pedaling feel less smooth. Over time, that same wear reshapes the cassette teeth, which eventually leads to skipping, slipping, or poor shifting.

Replacing the chain at the right time keeps everything running smoothly and helps avoid the cost of replacing the cassette and chainrings before their time. With regular chain replacement, most cassettes can last through several chains before needing to be replaced.

We sometimes hear from riders with older bikes who say they’ve run the same chain for decades. Modern drivetrains, especially 11- and 12-speed groups from Shimano and SRAM, use narrower chains and tighter tolerances, which give you smoother shifting and better performance but also require more frequent replacement to protect the cassette and chainrings. What worked on an 8-speed bike 20 years ago doesn’t hold up the same way on today’s 12-speed drivetrains.

A post-season service includes measuring chain wear, inspecting the cassette and chainrings, checking jockey wheels, and making sure your drivetrain is ready for next season.

Brake rotors also wear down over time. Heavy braking and grit create ridges and reduce rotor thickness. A rotor that’s worn past spec affects braking consistency and can lead to warping or uneven pad contact. Checking and replacing rotors when needed is a key part of keeping your brakes working at their best.

Parts and Fluids for Riders Near and Far

If it’s time to replace worn parts, we stock drivetrain components, rotors, brake pads, and fluids from trusted brands like Shimano, SRAM, Fox, and RockShox. We also carry suspension fluids and service kits for many popular models. Whether you’re booking service in the shop or tackling some maintenance at home, we’ve got the essentials to keep your bike running smooth. Not local to us? You can order drivetrain parts, pads, rotors, and suspension fluids directly from our online store.

Bearings and Pivots: Eliminate Creaks and Prevent Frame Damage

Corrosion and early frame wear from delayed service. Clean, grease, and service pivots before damage spreads.

Linkage bearings, bottom brackets, and headsets all take a beating through the season. Even on high-end bikes, dust and repeated impacts create play, creaks, or rough spots.

A good winter prep tune includes:

• Checking pivots and bearings for play or wear

• Cleaning and greasing or replacing as needed

• Inspecting the frame and hardware

• Torqueing everything to spec

This keeps the bike quiet, smooth, and ready for the miles ahead.

Why Now Is the Smart Time for Service

• Turnaround times are shorter before the spring rush

• Prevent small wear issues from becoming expensive repairs

• Ride confidently through winter or store your bike ready for next season

• Bring your bike back to peak performance with fresh fluid, suspension service, drivetrain inspection, and pivot checks

Book Your Post-Season Service at Ride Bicycles

Your bike carried you through an incredible season. Now is the time to return the favor before winter conditions amplify small problems. Whether you plan to ride through the wet winter or store your bike ready for next season, now is the best time to get it dialed.

Book Your Post-Season Service Today

Don't let a season's worth of wear degrade your next ride. Click here to view our service packages and secure your appointment before the spring rush!