Basic Bike Maintenance

citrus_

Hey guys,

I've just put down a deposit for my first ever road bike, Ill be collecting it in the next few days and cant wait to get on it.

But Ive never owned a "proper" bike before and Im not really sure how to look after it to get the best out of it and keep it in good condition.

I'd really appreciate it if somebody could literally spell out for me, when it gets dirty you clean this, every week check that etc.

Thanks for any help and advice!

Jeremy

Secteur

Remember that if your bike cost £A, then you will be spending £Ax2 on equipment, tools and various other bits and bobs!

There are whole books on this topic though.

This is useful; http://bicycletutor.com/guide/

citrus_

There are some great pages on that link, thanks for that!

CiB

Bikes are one of the simplest bits of engineering known to man. Maintenance is a doddle.

When the frame, fork, brakes or wheels look dirty, clean them.

When the chain is dirty or the cassette seems to be filling with that oil + dirt residue, clean it.

When the gears don't change as slickly, adjust them either with the barrel adjuster or on the thumb adjuster on the rear mech. My favourite analogy goes here - you don't take your guitar back to be retuned, why would anyone do the same for indexing?

If it gets rained on, feel free to give it a wipe down afterwards.

Bottom line is that modern bikes are quite robust and able to cope with the UK's weather patterns, and no-on comes round to check on what you do.

Enjoy the bike; keep it clean and lubed. Easy.

Peddle Up!

I use this bloke. Super service!

citrus_

Great thanks!

So is it a case of wait until it gets dirty or needs adjusting, rather that do it every week or so?

Lol at Monty Python

merak

This is a huge topic and very difficult to reply in a single post. Here are a few ideas. Just to tell you what I do - others may vary:

Cleaning - clean the whole bike when any of these happens:
1) You accumulate 100 miles in short rides
2) you do a ride over 100 miles
3) you do a ride in the wet.

To clean the bike:
Spay Finish Line citrus degrease to the chain;
With hot soapy water (using washing up liquid) and a sponge: clean the chain by running it through the sponge, also the chain rings and the jockey wheels;
Remove the wheels;
With hot soapy water and a stiff brush clean the cassette;
Using fresh soapy water now as the last batch will be dirty:
With a stiff brush scrub the tyres and the rims both sides;
With a clean sponge, the spokes, the hubs and the skewers;
With a sponge the rest of the bike, paying particular attention to crevices around mechs, calipers etc, and to the underside of tubes;
Rinse everything with a hose using a very gentle spray;
Allow to dry
Refit wheels
Lube chain with chain-specific lube (I use Finish line Dry Lube)

Lubing of other moving parts (such as caliper and mech pivots needs doing on a less frequent basis.)

Other maintenance:
Frequently overlooked, but make sure you get tyres to chosen pressure at least once a week
Every few months, I disassemble my cassette and take the chain rings off the spider to clean them properly;
Replacement of bar tape when it gets dirty;
About once a year check chain for stretch using a gauge and replace as necessary; check cassettes for visible wear and replace at the same time if needed
I find headsets sometimes need adjusting to remove excess play.

After that you're getting into more difficult things like rebuilding bearings.

This sort of post can only scratch the surface and I stress that this is the way I do it and it has worked for me for many years but others might well do things differently.

MrChuck

Dirt on the frame/forks doesn't really matter, although when the bike's new you're probably going to still want to clean them!

On a new bike it's likely that you'll need to fiddle about with the gears for the first few rides, partly because the shop(?) probably won't have done it properly, and partly because even if they did new cables tend to stretch.

This is easy if you go about it methodically, if you don't you might get yourself in a bit of a tangle and have to start from scratch- Park Tools repair help is yoru friend here. You'd have to try very hard to really muff it up though. Don't be too eager to adjust the limiot screws, but if you really have to this should only really need doing once.

As far as drivetrain goes, it's a bit piece-of-string. You probably won't need to clean it after every ride in normal conditions- you'll see/hear/feel when it needs doing. It's conceivable though that in the depths of winter one ride might be enough, depending on where you ride and how dirty it is. OTOH hand you might get hundreds of miles between cleans in summer, maybe with just a top-up of lube.
I use spray on degreaser for the cassette, rings and mech and run the chain through a chain bath, then rinse and (when it's dry) Finish Line Wet (green cap) although that's just personal preference.

I check the tyres for pressure before every ride, and quick releases and brakes.

If you're out in winter without mudguards you might also want to check the back brake failry frequently- this gets covered in crap and can seize up a bit.

Likewise brake pads can get very dirty which can be bad for your rims.[/i]

citrus_

Wow, really appreciate those last two detailed replies, thanks!

merak

One more thing - while you're cleaning the bike check both tyres for flints and get them out carefully with a penknife or suchlike if you find any (which you will from time to time). They can be tiny and hard to spot so look closely. This pays real dividends in reducing pu*****es.

Simonhi

Don't use washing up liquid, it is full of salt. If you must use a shampoo use a mild car shampoo that won't damage the paint.

Don't use hot water, it will wash road salt into tiny gaps, bearings etc, and that abrade the surface causing unnecessary damage.

If you can use a cold hose to spray off most of the grime but stay away from bearings, hubs, cables ends etc. to get most fo the worst off.

Use a sponge to remove the rest and a brush for hard to reach areas. Using a brush all over will mark that paint as the bristles will hold on to any grime and you will only rub that back over an area that you have cleaned.

Let the bike drip dry, turn it up on both wheels momentarily to remove any trapped water.

Use and old towel to dry the rest up.

When it's really grubby, remove chain, place in an old drink bottle with a splash of boliing water and degreaser, shake like a funky monkey, replace water and shake some more. Dry chain before putting back on and lubing up.

Re-grease cables ends as required.

cyberknight

Secteur wrote:

Remember that if your bike cost £A, then you will be spending £Ax2 on equipment, tools and various other bits and bobs!

There are whole books on this topic though.

This is useful; http://bicycletutor.com/guide/

Remember though bike tutor now charges $5 a month (£3) to watch the videos.

Park tools is very similar and free

http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help

And theres plenty on youtube., i also bought a repair book , zinnn and the art of raod bike maintenance but thats a bit to in depth for most .

marcusjb

Another vote for the Park Tools website - plenty of good stuff on there - covers nearly everything you might reasonably expect to do.

Their Blue book of bike maintenance is also very good - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Park-Tool-Blue-Bicycle-Repair/dp/B001B6NAW2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315409985&sr=8-1

It covers really everything you'd ever have to tackle yourself - and more (facing bottom bracket shells, fitting headsets etc. - stuff I personally know I've reached the limit of my skills and let my LBS do!).

merak

Simonhi wrote:

Don't use washing up liquid, it is full of salt. If you must use a shampoo use a mild car shampoo that won't damage the paint.

Not true. I have used washing up liquid in warm water on my bikes for more than 30 years and I have a bike that is over 15 years old that has been washed with washing up liquid hundreds of times and has done more than 50,000 miles and the paintwork is in very condition. The bike looks in better nick than many people's three year old bikes. What do you think rinsing is for?

Don't use hot water, it will wash road salt into tiny gaps, bearings etc, and that abrade the surface causing unnecessary damage.

Not true. See above.

If you can use a cold hose to spray off most of the grime but stay away from bearings, hubs, cables ends etc. to get most fo the worst off.

Not true - see above. You use the hose on a gentle spray to rinse the bike (all of the bike) after washing.

Use a sponge to remove the rest and a brush for hard to reach areas. Using a brush all over will mark that paint as the bristles will hold on to any grime and you will only rub that back over an area that you have cleaned.

Let the bike drip dry, turn it up on both wheels momentarily to remove any trapped water.

Use and old towel to dry the rest up.

When it's really grubby, remove chain, place in an old drink bottle with a splash of boliing water and degreaser, shake like a funky monkey, replace water and shake some more. Dry chain before putting back on and lubing up.

No need to remove chain to clean it - you're more likely to damage it taking it off every week than if you leave it on and clean it by applying degreaser and running it through a sponge with hot water and washing up liquid and rinsing it with water afterwards. Then re-lube. A chain that is left to get "really grubby" is a badly maintained chain. In fact, you can be lazy with all the rest of the cleaning but if you want a well running bike you have to clean and lube the drive chain (chain, chain-rings, cassette, jockey wheels) at least every 100 miles or so. Just bunging more lube on a grubby chain is sloppy and will lead to poor changing, noisy running, friction and damage.

Re-grease cables ends as required.

Huh?

Simonhi

merak wrote:

Simonhi wrote:

Don't use washing up liquid, it is full of salt. If you must use a shampoo use a mild car shampoo that won't damage the paint.

Not true. I have used washing up liquid in warm water on my bikes for more than 30 years and I have a bike that is over 15 years old that has been washed with washing up liquid hundreds of times and has done more than 50,000 miles and the paintwork is in very condition. The bike looks in better nick than many people's three year old bikes. What do you think rinsing is for?

Don't use hot water, it will wash road salt into tiny gaps, bearings etc, and that abrade the surface causing unnecessary damage.

Not true. See above.

If you can use a cold hose to spray off most of the grime but stay away from bearings, hubs, cables ends etc. to get most fo the worst off.

Not true - see above. You use the hose on a gentle spray to rinse the bike (all of the bike) after washing.

Use a sponge to remove the rest and a brush for hard to reach areas. Using a brush all over will mark that paint as the bristles will hold on to any grime and you will only rub that back over an area that you have cleaned.

Let the bike drip dry, turn it up on both wheels momentarily to remove any trapped water.

Use and old towel to dry the rest up.

When it's really grubby, remove chain, place in an old drink bottle with a splash of boliing water and degreaser, shake like a funky monkey, replace water and shake some more. Dry chain before putting back on and lubing up.

No need to remove chain to clean it - you're more likely to damage it taking it off every week than if you leave it on and clean it by applying degreaser and running it through a sponge with hot water and washing up liquid and rinsing it with water afterwards. Then re-lube. A chain that is left to get "really grubby" is a badly maintained chain. In fact, you can be lazy with all the rest of the cleaning but if you want a well running bike you have to clean and lube the drive chain (chain, chain-rings, cassette, jockey wheels) at least every 100 miles or so. Just bunging more lube on a grubby chain is sloppy and will lead to poor changing, noisy running, friction and damage.

Re-grease cables ends as required.

Huh?

I must be great being right all the time, I simply Can't be arsed to argue with you, google is your friend if you don't believe that washing up liquid contains salt.

Salt is not good for washing bikes,, good on chips though ;-)

Easiest way to clean chain is to remove it from the bike, quick connecting links seem to work quite well, don't weaken the chain in my experience but then maybe you have a different method for removing a chain :roll: Chains can get grubby when riding in grubby conditions, again it kind of goes without saying.

Anyway, I'm not supposed to be arguing, keep cleaning your bike your way, I'm sure it works for you :-)

Simonhi

merak wrote:

One more thing - while you're cleaning the bike check both tyres for flints and get them out carefully with a penknife or suchlike if you find any (which you will from time to time). They can be tiny and hard to spot so look closely. This pays real dividends in reducing pu*****es.

Oh yeah, and go jabbing your tyres with a penknife, that's really good for them :evil:

izzy Eviel

If you live near a branch of Evans Cycles they do maintenance courses every week, only a tenner and you get some freebies I think. Other LBS might do the same.

CrackFox

Lennard Zinn's book is excellent.

merak

Simonhi wrote:

merak wrote:

One more thing - while you're cleaning the bike check both tyres for flints and get them out carefully with a penknife or suchlike if you find any (which you will from time to time). They can be tiny and hard to spot so look closely. This pays real dividends in reducing pu*****es.

Oh yeah, and go jabbing your tyres with a penknife, that's really good for them :evil:

So, how do you get the flints out of your tyres? Oh wait - you've only had a road bike for less than a month - you probably don't even realise that road tyres pick up flints and you obviously have no idea how to deal with them before they become a problem. Who exactly suggested "jabbing" tyres? I'd leave the advice to those who actually know what they are talking about if I were you.

merak

Simonhi wrote:

merak wrote:

Simonhi wrote:

Don't use washing up liquid, it is full of salt. If you must use a shampoo use a mild car shampoo that won't damage the paint.

Not true. I have used washing up liquid in warm water on my bikes for more than 30 years and I have a bike that is over 15 years old that has been washed with washing up liquid hundreds of times and has done more than 50,000 miles and the paintwork is in very condition. The bike looks in better nick than many people's three year old bikes. What do you think rinsing is for?

Don't use hot water, it will wash road salt into tiny gaps, bearings etc, and that abrade the surface causing unnecessary damage.

Not true. See above.

If you can use a cold hose to spray off most of the grime but stay away from bearings, hubs, cables ends etc. to get most fo the worst off.

Not true - see above. You use the hose on a gentle spray to rinse the bike (all of the bike) after washing.

Use a sponge to remove the rest and a brush for hard to reach areas. Using a brush all over will mark that paint as the bristles will hold on to any grime and you will only rub that back over an area that you have cleaned.

Let the bike drip dry, turn it up on both wheels momentarily to remove any trapped water.

Use and old towel to dry the rest up.

When it's really grubby, remove chain, place in an old drink bottle with a splash of boliing water and degreaser, shake like a funky monkey, replace water and shake some more. Dry chain before putting back on and lubing up.

No need to remove chain to clean it - you're more likely to damage it taking it off every week than if you leave it on and clean it by applying degreaser and running it through a sponge with hot water and washing up liquid and rinsing it with water afterwards. Then re-lube. A chain that is left to get "really grubby" is a badly maintained chain. In fact, you can be lazy with all the rest of the cleaning but if you want a well running bike you have to clean and lube the drive chain (chain, chain-rings, cassette, jockey wheels) at least every 100 miles or so. Just bunging more lube on a grubby chain is sloppy and will lead to poor changing, noisy running, friction and damage.

Re-grease cables ends as required.

Huh?

I must be great being right all the time, I simply Can't be arsed to argue with you, google is your friend if you don't believe that washing up liquid contains salt.

Salt is not good for washing bikes,, good on chips though ;-)

Easiest way to clean chain is to remove it from the bike, quick connecting links seem to work quite well, don't weaken the chain in my experience but then maybe you have a different method for removing a chain :roll: Chains can get grubby when riding in grubby conditions, again it kind of goes without saying.

Anyway, I'm not supposed to be arguing, keep cleaning your bike your way, I'm sure it works for you :-)

Has done for 30 years and 200,000 miles. And you?

Simonhi

merak

There there. Dry your eyes - you'll feel better soon.