What Bike Maintenance should I be doing?

Gouldy-89

Hi,

I am new to the scene and was just wondering what sort of bike maintenance should be done weekly, monthly, yearly, etc. I am reasonably hands on (built a £300 bike a few years back) but not sure what I need to be doing to ensure the bike stays "healthy" beyond keeping the chain, crank, etc oiled and the tyres at the right pressure.
Will probably be doing 100miles or so a week.

Thanks

imposter2.0

Pretty much the stuff you mentioned, along with whatever else is needed as and when.

Gouldy-89

I am not really sure what the "whatever else is needed as and when" is?

imposter2.0

Well it's difficult to be any more specific than that, without being able to predict the future. Basically, regular maintenance will be limited to chain, transmission and tyre pressures. At the end of the day, these are bicycles, not stealth fighters.

nuclearred955

Make sure your drivetrain's clean, not just oiled. It's the road crap that gathers in the oil that accelerates wear.

Keep an eye on tyre condition, brake blocks, cables. Wheel & headset bearings might need occasional adjustment so check for play from time to time.

The easiest way to stay on top of maintenance is to keep your bike clean - you'll tend to notice any issues & remember to do routine stuff. And your bike will be shiny, which will obviously make it faster.

grenw

That's what I do regularly - drivetrain and tyres.

Less regularly I check chain wear, brake blocks, headset bolts - a 2 minute job.

The rest is just what I feel and hear on the bike - headset, BB etc. and do nothing until I think I have a problem

Jerry185

Great tip I had was WD40 chain cleaner. Used it after a bike camp trip in Mallorca. Like all blokes, we don't read the instructions, so I sprayed the chain/cassette and front rings and nothing much happened. Was then going to attack it with a toothbrush but sprayed some more and the sh!t literally fell off leaving a spangly clean gleaming chain. Just make sure you cover the rest of your frame/wheels/ground underneath.

homers_double

I like to buff my nuts after every ride.

simon_masterson

Check chain wear using a steel rule or a chain wear checker (Park Tool etc) - the former more accurate, the latter less fiddly - and replace accordingly. You will get much more life out of your chain and chainrings.

whoof

When you clean your bike do the following:

Put the front break on and rock the bike back and forth. If there is any movement in the headset/aheadset it needs tightening. Hold the front wheel off the floor. If it doesn't turn smoothly and there a 'notch' which keeps your front wheel pointing straight you need a new headset. If you have open bearings in the headset you can clean and grease these. How often depends on what sort of weather you ride in and if you have mudguards. Once of twice a year usually does it.

Check that there's no lateral movement in the wheels. If there is, the cones needs adjusting. Also about twice a year I remove the wheel axles and clean and grease the bearings. Neither is applicable if you have cartridge bearings.

Check that you have no loose spokes. Tension and true the wheels if they are.

darkhairedlord

Most bikes are maintenance free. Just ride it until it seizes up then leave it chained to a lamp post in the town centre.

keef66

Lube the chain sparingly then keep wiping it down to remove any excess / associated muck. Keep the tyres topped up and free from embedded crap.

Occasionally check for brake block wear and remove any embedded metal. Also keep an eye on brake track wear; easier if the rims have a wear indicator.

Every few months check for chain wear and replace when 0.75% elongated; easier with a chain wear tool but allegedly more accurate with a steel ruler (I use a Park Tool checker; never managed to hold both ends of the ruler still enough to get an accurate reading)

Annually clean / regrease / adjust cup and cone wheel bearings. Annually clean and relube the freehub.

Everything else, just fix / replace if it breaks or wears out

eddm87

Hi all.
Completely new to all this...
On a weekly basis what should be done for bike maintenance? I have read lots on this and there seems to be loads of different opinions!
The main thing I can see is to keep the chain and cassette in good nic (just those when it comes to the chain?) I understand you wash it, then oil it. Silly question but does wd40 do the trick? And only on the chain?

Other than that apart from general cleaning, tightening handlebar bolts and adjusting brakes when necessary are there any other 'regular maintenance' bits I should be doing?

Cheers
Edd

simon_masterson

Hi Edd, WD40 tends to provoke strong opinions - some people do use it (and GT85) - but it's not ideal because it dissipates. Better to use a wet lube - Finish Line, Muc Off, and others are all good; whatever the shop sells.

In general, see the suggestions above. You need to be able to spot issues that need dealing with, and get a feel for how your bike is to ride when it's in good working order. Clearly, the main reason for this is to make sure you're going out on a roadworthy bike, but bikes are pretty reliable for the most part if you look after them well - even when the parts and consumables are cheap.

keef66

eddm87 wrote:

Hi all.
Completely new to all this...
On a weekly basis what should be done for bike maintenance? I have read lots on this and there seems to be loads of different opinions!
The main thing I can see is to keep the chain and cassette in good nic (just those when it comes to the chain?) I understand you wash it, then oil it. Silly question but does wd40 do the trick? And only on the chain?

Other than that apart from general cleaning, tightening handlebar bolts and adjusting brakes when necessary are there any other 'regular maintenance' bits I should be doing?

Cheers
Edd

I refer the honourable gentleman to my earlier post:

"Lube the chain sparingly then keep wiping it down to remove any excess / associated muck. Keep the tyres topped up and free from embedded crap"

That's all I do on a weekly basis. For chain lube I use plain old 3-in-1 oil. Don't overdo it. Small drop on each roller, spin the cranks slowly backwards a couple of times, then thoroughly wipe off any excess. This has the added benefit of taking the muck with it.

If you find you're riding through the winter and / or doing a lot of wet weather rides, you could try a heavier, stickier lube like Finish Line wet lube, but to be honest I've always found that quickly turns the whole drivetrain black and sticky and is much harder to remove. (then you might find the WD40 useful as a solvent just to clean the chain).