Erm, maintenance

Eyeball Tickler

I'm quite ashamed to confess that I've never looked after my bikes properly. I've never exactly neglected them, but neither have I performed any kind of regular maintenance to keep them in tip-top shape. So now, inspired by this article :http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/guides/cycling/story/0,,2022386,00.html, I want to start some good habits.

Most of the stuff mentioned - checking brakes & lights, tire pressure, servicing is perfectly understandable. But there's some stuff I'm a little confused about...

So I should clean my bike every month - is soap and water okay for the frame then?
I should grease areas where metal meets metal - what kind of grease should I buy?
I need to degrease my chain - What exactly is degreaser and where do I get it?

I'm hopeless at most DIY stuff to my shame, so I really know almost nothing. Answers to the above questions or any other general advice would be more than welcome.

Lenny

thereisnospooncp

http://www.trinewbies.com/BikeClean/Welcome.asp

Eyeball Tickler

Merci beaucoup.

fossyant

Every month to clean the bike....... All my bikes get cleaned if dirty after a ride (but I'm an obsessive).

Car Shampoo is great for bikes, don't use washing up liquid, it pulls polish off and it a bit harsh.

Regularly oil your chain and wipe off excess with a rag - if it's bad (dirty) and if you can remove the chain (assuming it either has a quick link or you have a rivet extractor), remove and degrease it, dry, re-lube and shove on. Best off grease things like stems and seat posts so they don't seize in place. If you keep the thing clean, well lubed, then major maintenance isn't that necessary.

Bronzie

So I should clean my bike every month - is soap and water okay for the frame then?

I only clean mine when it's mucky / when I have time........in the Winter this can be once a week, in the Summer, depends on the weather. I use washing up liquid but car shampoo is probably better as mentioned previously.

I should grease areas where metal meets metal - what kind of grease should I buy?

Very few modern bikes have serviceable bearings now (ie that needed periodic stripping out, cleaning and re-assembly) as cartridge bearings are used for a lot of wheels, bottom brackets, headsets etc. I only tend to grease stuff when I'm putting a frame together (ie before inserting seat pin into seat tube or clamping stem onto steerer tube). I use a general purpose grease, but there are special non-sieze (lithium?) greases that are probably better suited to the job (and hence dearer).

I need to degrease my chain - What exactly is degreaser and where do I get it?

I use petrol or turps in a chain-cleaner, but again there are better products - purpose made chain cleaners are available at any decent bike shop. A chain cleaning tool will make the job much easier - clamp the bath around the chain and turn the pedals with bike on a workstand to clean the old muck and oil off. Apply fresh oil sparingly - I use "3-in-1" oil poured onto an old rag and then run the chain against the rag (if you drip oil direct onto chain you end up with it saturated).


Some things that will really help you maintain your bike - I've accumulated my tools over 20 years or so and they are expensive, so don't feel you must have them all, but purchase gradually as and when you need:

- workstand (you can improvise with hooks in the ceiling and bits of rope etc but a proper stand makes things so much easier)
- track pump (with a guage - so much better than a hand pump)
- chain bath / cleaning tool
- chain whip and cassette removal tool (so you can swap / remove cassette when needed)
- spoke key (so you can re-true wheels yourself)
- decent wire cutters (to stop you getting frayed cables when replacing cables with new)

Dearo

thereisnospooncp wrote:

http://www.trinewbies.com/BikeClean/Welcome.asp

Nice website dude, full of info for us numb nuts who aint got a clue !!

Regards

Dearo

sc0ttb88

Yes it is a great guide! Just had a read through it there. Wasn't going to bother with one of those chain cleaning things but they look to be very useful...

paulbricey

I'd recommend to buy a second chain....when it gets grudded up just take it off and put the replacement on. This has two benefits 1. can clean the old chain in a bath of turps and let it dry w/out worrying about missing the gap between the clouds and 2. it's then easy to clean derailleur and other bits with chain removed (take off & lube jockey wheels etc).

On lubricants for road use I wouldn't use 3-in-1 personally as it stays wet, emulsions in rain, and attracts dust/dirt. I'd use a dry/wax lube and use the same stuff to run into the cables, into rear mech joints, and other joints...