Road bike first service

Kingsmill1

Got a bike from Evans they offer a free 6 week first service trouble is got to either travel back into London from Kent or take to Essex as these are my closest stores both end up costing me £15-20 just to get it there unless I fancy a really long winter ride ( which I don't ) anyway can anyone suggest what I could do with minimal tools to do this service myself after all Evans says it takes them 15 minutes its either that or take it to my lbs. I'm not against the idea of my local lbs but wonder what they'd charge.

Thanks

cycleclinic

First to the simple M-check to see if anythi et up gears ang isyou out of place. Otherise a stand and a set of allen keys will allow you to setup brake and gears. To do more more tools are rewuired. At a 6 week check over that's all evens will do anyway.

Park tools website is agood resource as is Park's big blue book of bicycle repair. As a cycislist you should be able to check over your bike and spot problems even if you do not want to or do not know how to fix them.

sungod

imho just learn to check the bike

check brakes for wear, adjust brakes/shifting, check chain for wear, check wheels and headset bearings for play, check that bolts etc. aren't loose, check for any excess wear, corrosion, cracks, etc.

tbh i do these as i go along, it only takes a few minutes to give a bike the once over, but if you don't do a lot of miles it's ok to leave things longer

some oil, a 12" ruler, hex keys, screwdriver will allow all the above and a few other tasks, adjusting wheel bearings usually needs some cone spanners (thin spanners, they're cheap)

compared to the cost of servicing, diy can save you a lot, even if you have to buy tools

as above, park tool site is good for how-to info, just don't believe that you really need all their tools!

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

Diogenes

The first service is really just about checking that nothing has come loose / slack. It is not unusual for gear cables to stretch a tad which makes the changing a little less crisp or can even end up with mis-shifts. Similarly the break levers may be moving further before they bite.These are easy to adjust to take up any play.

Check for play in the headset, grab the front break and rock the bike, see if there is any play (pretty unlikely if the bike has been assembled properly).

Check all the bolts, make sure they are still tight (be careful if you have carbon bits, they are torqued up to a limit but if they are not loose should be okay).

Check breaks for wear and alignment, after only 6 weeks wear should not be a major issue unless you are racking up the miles. Again easy to adjust.

The most awkward thing to address is the wheels, sometimes the spokes will relax and the wheels need truing. Having said that I have yet to find a pair of well built wheels which needed any adjustment.

A touch of lube on chains, mechs etc will never go a miss.

D