Advice please for a beginner-how to look after my Road Bike

Christina_G

Hi

I Have a Fausto Coppi Torino Road Bike and am wanting some advice one how to look after it ...i am new to cycling so don't want to ruin my bike and need some tips please on how to maintain a good working order.

How do i look after the chain? How can i tell when i need new parts ( apart from when they start looking old or stop working!)....How do i look after the brakes? I was thinking about taking my bike into a bike shop for a general "tidy up" but am worried i'll be ripped off as i obviously don't know what time talking about.

Going forward how do i look after it myself ? Advise on perhaps a basic maintenance kit would help...is there a "how to" guide thats any good ? Or would i be wasting my money...?

Thanks

John Stevenson

There's oodles on the web and in print.

BikeRadar workshop section

Park Tool how-tos

Repair advice from the late great Sheldon Brown

Total Bike Repair & Maintenance (from the makers of Cycling Plus)

Park Tool Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair

Zinn And The Art Of Road Bike Maintenance

ColinJ

Hi Christina.

I'll start you off with one suggestion - if you ride your bike in the winter, make sure you wash it when you finish your ride. The salt and grit that is put on the roads at this time of year is really corrosive and will rot metal parts pretty quickly if it is allowed to build up on a damp bike.

Another suggestion - don't use a power-washer anywhere near any bearings on your bike - for example, your wheel hubs. The water can be forced into the bearings and washes out the grease, so before you know it your bearings will be knackered.

I use a 5 litre garden spray on my bike. It gives a nice gentle spray which is good for rinsing off gritty muck, without being powerful enough to do any damage.

I put 1 drop of oil on each roller in the chain and leave it for a few minutes to soak in. I then wipe off any excess with a rag. Excess oil just sticks dirt to the chain which then wears quicker.

In dry weather, I lube the chain about once a week. In wet weather, maybe every ride because rain can wash the lube off the chain and make it go rusty.

If you keep your bike clean, you should get several thousand miles out of each chain. It's best to replace them before they get too worn, otherwise they start to wear the cogs (or sprockets: back) and chainrings (front) which are a lot more expensive to replace. You can buy a chain wear gauge which will show you when it is time to fit a new one.