so got my bike, now how to look after it!!!

cosmaboy

Hi,

I have a new SCR 1 and want to keep it in good condition, is there like a idiots guide to biking or just general practice that on how to clean it etc...


been on a few 40 mile rides, just not sure how often you have to clean / oil the chain and gears and stuff.

ARob

personnaly, not often enough

does seem to make a differnece cleaning the chain every 40-100 miles depending on conditions. blst of oil every 40-60 as well.

i clean it with muc off which seems to do the trick but am sure there are better products out there and dont know how environmentally friendly it is.

Mettan

cosmaboy wrote:

Hi,

I have a new SCR 1 and want to keep it in good condition, is there like a idiots guide to biking or just general practice that on how to clean it etc...


been on a few 40 mile rides, just not sure how often you have to clean / oil the chain and gears and stuff.

Clean your Chain, Chainrings and Cassette frequently (I find my Chainrings attract the most grit.....) I tend to clean my drivetrain after every 2 or 3 rides, although any silly chunks of grit etc get removed staright away. For a chain lube, Finish line Cross country is competent enough - as a general Lubricant spray Wedlite TF2 is another competent item (quick and easy aswell).

on2wheels

There's some good videos on youtube, just type in what you'd like to see, I have downloaded a few on cleaning and general maintenance, copied them and put them on a dvd to watch on tv, not very good quality enlarged but they are quite in formative

hope this helps

Nuggs

Here's what I do:

1. Degrease the drivechain - if it's really grungy, I use Finish Line Citrus Degreaser. If it's not too bad, I use Pedro's Biocleaner (it doesn't kill the fish).

2. Give the drivechain a good scrub with Pedro's parts brush and then rinse with water.

3. Hose down the bike and wash with a sponge and quality car shampoo.

4. Dry the bike with a waffle cloth

5. Dry the chain with an old towel and clean the cogs etc with a rag.

6. Give the frame a good coating of Pedro's Bike Lust

7. Add a drop of oil to each chain roller - allow to soak in the wipe off excess with a rag.

8. Give other moving parts (front and rear mechs, brake pivot points, pedal releases etc) a squirt of GT85 and wipe off excess.

9. Step back and admire the clean machine!

stabilised

Nuggs' routine looks pretty much spot on - more thorough than mine, that's for sure.

Specialist bike cleaning products, especially de-greasers, can be pretty expensive, though, but there are alternatives that work just as well if you are on a budget. I've used Jizer on chains, cassettes and chaninrings for years without any problems. It's paraffin-based, so paraffin works, too, and is even cheaper. It's ages since I used it, but, even at present prices, it is still probably the cheapest - petrol. Not very eco friendly and you need to get it off pretty fast, but it certainly works as a de-greaser! Others use white-spirit, but even taking the chain off and soaking it in a bath of the stuff has never been as effective in my experience as the others.

Park Tools website has good advice on cleaning bikes (as well as on every other maintenance task you are ever likely to want to do and several you probably won't). It's interesting that they highlight the need to rinse off citrus-based degreasers quickly.

il_principe

Nuggs wrote:

Here's what I do:

1. Degrease the drivechain - if it's really grungy, I use Finish Line Citrus Degreaser. If it's not too bad, I use Pedro's Biocleaner (it doesn't kill the fish).

Disagree with this one. Never degrease the chain, make sure you wipe and lube it regularly. As your bike is a roadie the chain should not be getting covered in crud any way. KMC (top chain manufacturers) have some good advice on this http://www.kmcchain.com/index.php?ln=en&fn=service#2

If you are super anal (like me) then invest in a cassette remover and a chain whip and then remove and clean the cassette (rear cogs).

Also don't forget to keep your braking surfaces clean.

CanterburyTailwind

Jeez...all these cleaning routines are making me feel very guilty [*glances over at encrusted bike shivering in the corner*]. It's about time someone invented a self cleaning bike for lazy a*ses like me

unclemalc

Some years back I was in a local bike shop when a bloke walks in with a well-muddied Mtb and asks the lads behind the counter if they could fix this and that. "No probs.." was the reply.
"Oh yes", says the bike owner, as he left the shop, "could you give it a clean it for me as well" .
The two lads in the shop looked at each other and rolled around the floor laughing for ages. I don't know for a fact, but I reckon it stayed dirty.
In my LBS, FW's in Wolves, I was in when Mike took in a bike for a service which was in a sh***y state and said, in effect, because it was so bad, the wear and tear was likely to have been far worse than if it had been looked after, therefore it would cost £XXX.
The owner had to take that on the chin.
Seems to me that owning a beautiful bike means taking pride in it and therefore keeping it clean at least. Sitting in the sun and wiping down the drivechain to restore it to 'just -out-the-box' is very theraputic, especialy if I couldn't actually get out on the thing for some reason.
Go on - give it a clean, you'll feel much better for it.

Use white lightning on your chain (once its well cleaned.