How to maintain your bike on a budget: 11 low-cost essentials for worry free miles

Keeping your bike running smoothly doesn't have to be expensive or time consuming – here's our tips on how to maintain your bike on a budget

Image shows a person maintaining their bike on a budget.
(Image credit: Getty Images / Westend61)


Learning how to maintain your bike is time well spent. The rewards are two-fold. Not only will your bicycle run smoothly but you’re likely to save money too. Even just keeping it clean can extend the life of the parts, such as the chain, cassette and tyre, by months.

How involved you get is up to you. Completing overhauling your bike will require specialised tools and plenty of practise too. A job like installing a new press fit bottom bracket is probably best left to a professional, as there’s potential to damage the frame in the process. Given that you’re unlikely to be swapping out bottom brackets on a regular basis also means the cost of the tools might seem like an unnecessary outlay.

Freelance writer

Luke Friend has worked as a writer, editor and copywriter for twenty five years. Across books, magazines and websites, he's covered a broad range of topics for a range of clients including Major League Baseball, the National Trust and the NHS. He has an MA in Professional Writing from Falmouth University and is a qualified bicycle mechanic. He has been a cycling enthusiast from an early age, partly due to watching the Tour de France on TV. He's a keen follower of bike racing to this day as well as a regular road and gravel rider.