How do you maintain your bike?

tom_pvfc

I've not been cycling long on the road; I was just wondering what advice you have for maintaining your bike to give it's best performance. How do you keep it running smoothly?

Thanks in advance!

ForumNewbie

A quick clean after each ride, especially if wet, when I dry and then lube chain and cables etc. Easy to miss some parts and a bit of rust can creep in.

tom_pvfc

Okay thanks! What do you use to clean it? I will need to stop being lazy and start cleaning it properly!

philwint

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFb9s6B62lI

Good vid there

Peddle Up!

Baby wipes are your friend. Really.

crescent

It depends on your confidence/ability with tools really. It is easy to clean a bike with water and a suitable cleaning product. Baby wipes are a top-tip for a quick wipe down after a moderately wet or dirty ride. If you're confident enough to start stripping and rebuilding then it is good to give the bike a bit more of a deeper clean and lubrication once in a while. I tend towards the OCD school of bike cleaning and maintenance and quite enjoy giving it a good overhaul now and again. A few tools, YouTube and a bit of common sense and it can be very rewarding having a smooth, clean and quiet bike. It's also good to have a bit of first line maintenance skills if you ever have a roadside problem in the middle of nowhere.
The Park Tools website, amongst others, has some good maintenance videos.

CiB

Keep it running smoothly? Things that move need to be kept clean and lubed, things that don't should be tightened correctly. Keep an eye on cables & brake blocks and change them before you think they need renewing, and conversely learn by experience when a chain and when a chain + rings + cassette needs replacing, not by being sold one by a bike shop eager to relieve you off your cash. Depends on use obviously but you should expect 1500-2000 miles per chain and about 5 chains per cassette / rings.

Crescent has it right - learn how to take your bike completely apart and rebuild it, with everything getting a good clean between those two actions. Did mine yesterday whilst half-watching the play-off & ECL finals and it was close to being like a new bike again today when I went out for a run.

Mikey23

Pump up tyres every other day, wipe the chain down and lube when needed. Check brake blocks for wear and investigate occasional rattles and squeaks...

Other than that, neglect is my strategy. Bikes are meant to be ridden

crescent

CiB wrote:

Did mine yesterday whilst half-watching the play-off & ECL finals and it was close to being like a new bike again today when I went out for a run.

I did that with my winter bike last month: stripped everything off the frame, soaked components in various combinations of cleaner, degreaser and oil before cleaning, lubricating, polishing and rebuilding. I couldn't believe how mint it looked, so much so that my wife thought I'd renewed loads of bits - I hadn't but to be fair I do have a bit of previous :oops:

BrandonA

Peddle Up! wrote:

Baby wipes are your friend. Really.

+1

I usually give the frame a once over with wipes after most rides.

Once or twice a week I will clean the chain. This includes using a chain bath first and then a second clean with de-greaser foam. I ensure all parts of the groupset are well cleaned and oiled. This wash also involves using something like muc off to clean the frame.

The more often you clean the chainset the smoother the bike will run and the longer the parts will last.

mjf1017

Buy a cleaning kit by halfords or muc off or similar. I also invested in a chain cleaner which I use every week and love. It's a little box with brushes and sponge inside it. You pull the chain through via the cranks and then after 20 revolutions the chain comes out lovely and shiny. Bit sad but I do love seeing my chain gleam...

iPete

I'm lazy, ride alot and can trash a clean bike in a day so tend to do full strip/re-builds. This is frequent in winter but made easier by riding fixed.

To keep it running smooth learn some basics like fitting the brakes and tuning the gears. When it gets proper filthy or squeaky invest in a workstand/tools and learn how to strip/grease/replace the chainset, BB, cassette and chain.

Trash kit quick enough and the tools pay for themselves very quickly.

drlodge

Little and often...wipe down and relube chain after every or every other ride, clean the rest of the bike when its gets dirty.

rickeverett

As above- little and often. Every ride or so- a wipe down with damp and dry microfibre cloths.
Removes dirt and dust exceptionally well without splashing water and clearer's all over the bike.

A coat of Turtle wax ICE every now and then also helps keep the bike clean and dirt easier to remove.

White spirit for deep chain and cassette clean (off the bike). Rejuvenates them like new and dries off quick with no rust risk before re-lube.

tangled_metal

My routine is prolonged periods of neglect followed by sorting out whatever creak or squeak turns up, usually after at least a year of use. I do admit to replacing brake blocks on my old road bike when I find out I can accelerate down a steep local hill with both brakes on full. As in I'm squeezing the brake levers with all my strength because I know a hairpin bend is coming up and I'm going too fast.
With my new bike I'll be checking tyres for inflation, oil the chain every so often when I remember and have time. I always monitor my bikes when being ridden, which is what it's for not spending hours playing with in the garage. Any noise or issue that happens I will notice and investigate. Other than that I've never found I've needed to do too much maintenance. I'm not a heavy user of my bikes just commuting and odd leisure ride with family. If I did a lot more I'd need to do more. IMHO you do as much regular maintenance as your level of riding demands. If I did 1000s of miles each year I'd be working on it a lot more.

rickeverett

tell you whats a shock - how much sh*t goes up the little gap between your frame and forks. :shock:

I tape over the front brake caliper hole in that area too.

Mikey23

@TM ... After my own heart

samsbike

rickeverett wrote:

tell you whats a shock - how much sh*t goes up the little gap between your frame and forks. :shock:

I tape over the front brake caliper hole in that area too.

that's why you need mudguards, which after adding longer flaps, does keep stuff cleaner