Maintenance

Sploosh

So, I have just bought a new bike (Giant Anthem 3 27.5 2015) and I LOVE it!

I've been on 4 rides now and, as an ex car mechanic who understands maintenance, I want to know what everyone does between rides and every 5-10 rides in terms of maintenance.

I read somewhere that I should be stripping and greasing crank bearings after 5 rides! That seems like a lot of maintenance for 5 rides.

I am also looking for some workshop essentials, I have everything needed for a car but I can see there are going to be some specialist tools to get. What make is the best?

Finally; what lubes are best for dotting around the moving parts?

Many thanks.

oxoman

Hi and great choice of bike, as to maintenance routine i think stripping down after every 5 rides or so is excessive. every ride i clean it and make sure the suspension legs are dry after i have finished. I clean the chain using a chain cleaner as a matter of course at this time of year wet, mud and grit etc and then lube up. To date i haven't really done anything else other than check everything is tight that should be and gears etc are changing correctly and brakes and pads are ok. PS fellow Anthem owner

BigAl

Check out the 'Park Tools' website. Their tools are also very good, though a bit pricey

Crank strip after 5 rides is way over the top.

Keep your drive-train clean and lubed (I use Squirt lube) but there's no need to be obsessive.

You're a mechanic - so it's simply a case of checking important fixings periodically (stem, handlebar, brake caliper bolts, etc) and look after gear cables, wipe down fork stantions and shock. Other than that, just keep you're eye on it, replacing any items that wear.

There's really no black art

Great choice of bike btw

BigAl

As for lubes, there's no need to keep a huge variety

I use
Squirt on my chain (perhaps I should re-phrase that!)
Park Tools 'Polylube' for bearings and the like
A (little) bit of Rockshox 15wt suspension fluid on fork stantions
Halfords copperslip (not a lube!) on pedal threads, seatpost and so on to prevent seizure

That's all I use

davidradar

Most items that need maintance will bring themselves to your attention. ie. Poor shifting, squeeky brakes, snapped spoke. Dont worry too as you could probably ride all year doing nothing but cleaning & lubing your chain & fork.
Just read the owners manual for more info..

JGTR

Main thing I've found needs regular attention is the chain, ideally after most rides. After a bit of experimentation I do this:

1. Run chain through rag to remove as much grime/dirt as possible.
2. Run chain through rag with ISP to remove any lube that's holding onto dirt/grit
3. Spray with bike spray (WD40 or similar) to drive out water/loosen any deposits.
4. Run chain through rag to remove excess bike spray
5. Lube. Currently using a wet lube due to time of year.
6. Run chain through rag to remove excess lube.

Wipe fork stantions with fork oil after most rides, compress forks and wipe off any dirt that comes out of the seals.

Fork will need a lower leg service, yearly for me as I don't ride a great deal. Not sure if your fork is easily serviceable??

Apart from that it's just like servicing a car, start at the back and work through the bike checking for play and wear in components.

cooldad

Hose bike, leave to dry (mine live in a heated conservatory.)

Wipe and lube stanchions/shock (sometimes) before a ride.

Apply Squirt, every ride or so in nasty weather, once a month maybe when it's nice and dry.

Check bolts etc when I feel like it.

Other maintenance as and when necessary. Cables etc. i just replace when shifting gets cruddy.

Chain and cassette on the bike I rode yesterday in horrendous mud is two years old, still fine.

Less is better, and water is destructive.

WD40 is made of the sweat of satan.

JGTR

Waiting for the WD40 comment, used correctly it's fine. I've been using it for 20 years with no issues.

Or if you really don't like WD40 just buy one of the specific bike sprays which is pretty much WD40 with a different name.

The Rookie

Very few uses for it on a bike though, as a water dispersant after a wet ride is about it.

JGTR

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19781722#p19781722]The Rookie[/url] wrote:

Very few uses for it on a bike though, as a water dispersant after a wet ride is about it.

Which is exactly what I'm using it for

fridgehq

The best thing is to look after the chain a chain wear indicater cost me about 4quid and has saved my chain ring and cassette from premature wear esp during winter riding

cooldad

Nope they just make sure you throw away loads of perfectly good chains.

FishFish

I think that additionally understanding how to index the gears, size and change the chain and service the hubs and BB then you are fine. There has been a thread on stuff that you should take with you on the trail which might be worth looking at too. Bike security is something that should cross your mind too.

Sploosh

Cheers.

The info about fork stantions makes sense.. I'll have to add that to the list, Eapecially the post about full compression. I am getting to the point where I'm trusting the design of the bike to endure the normal life of a bike. I need to stop worrying and do more riding.

And thanks for the kudos (thanks strava for adding kudos to my vocabulary) on my choice of bike. I got it off the Internet at what I thought was a decent price. It had good reviews at £1,500 and I got it a little bit cheaper so win win.

Sploosh

FishFish wrote:

I think that additionally understanding how to index the gears, size and change the chain and service the hubs and BB then you are fine. There has been a thread on stuff that you should take with you on the trail which might be worth looking at too. Bike security is something that should cross your mind too.

Yeh... I tried to take that annoying interference out of the front derailleur and it took me about an hour! It's 10x2 and the chain angle in all the cassette gears was proving to be a problem.

Bike security has crossed my mind a few times cause I ride on my own and going into the shop for a snack is often not worth the risk. It just meant me taking my muddy bike into Tesco Express.

jamski

I use muc off wet lube on the chain every now and then and on the stantions after I've hosed it down after every ride. People will probably say this is censored but I use GT85 on the chain, chain rings and cassette after the hose off and it avoids anything rusting. Just stripped down my pedals and re-greased using a lithium grease. Will use this on anything G with bearings.