Oil/Grease recommendations & Q's about pedals.

beabea81

Hello everyone,
I bought a cheap bike from Argos to cycle to work on, turns out I love being on two wheels and it it took roughly 6 weeks before I'd had enough of my heap and upgraded to a Cannondale Trail Tango 1.

I probably could have got better specs for the money elsewhere but I fell in love with it and having ridden it the thing feels like it was made specifically for me.. Totally in love!
My commute is mostly along the canal but I intend to get on some light trails so I've been binge watching GMBN vids for the past two weeks but I have a couple questions if you don't mind...

Obviously I want to take the best care of my new baby that I can and one of the things mentioned in a 'things you should do to your new bike' video was to clean off the oil from the chain and apply an appropriate one as soon as you get it. Wet or dry? I'm assuming a wet oil for this time of year and in the UK? Researching my forks (Rock Shox XC30) one of the comments was to make sure the stanchions are well greased- is there a specific one you would recommend?
The instruction manual says to wash the bike with just water and dish detergent- is this best or would I need something like a degreaser such as Muc-Off?
I've applied a self-amalgamating tape (similar to mastic tape) to the chainstay for protection (works like an inner tube would but its a bit thinner so looks a bit neater)- is there anything else I should protect?


I swapped out the stock pedals for some DMR V8's and I love the grip on them, I feel really secure but I keep catching the inside of my ankle on the crank arm because I'm positioning my feet on a diagonal (heel in, toe out). I'm trying to work on keeping my knees in (as recommended by Doddy) and I think concentrating on this is causing me to adopt a weird placement. The only way to correct it is to look down, lift foot off and replace- not wise whilst riding! Would you: a) buy smoother pedals so I can slide my feet around b) buy clipless so I can set them c) just spend time 'setting off' repeatedly until it becomes like a muscle memory thing?
I know clipless aren't recommended for beginners because there's so much I need to learn about technique and control that I can only do on flats but I chucked it in there as I was thinking of all options.


Thank you for taking the time to read the wall of text!

cooldad

The best lube is the stuff the chain came from the factory with. When it needs re lubing just pick a name brand like Finish Line and follow the directions.

I only use Squirt, http://in2dust.co.uk/product/squirt-chain-lube/
Bit cheaper from Wiggle at the moment I think.

I clean my bike as rarely as possible - water causes more issues than a bit of dirt, but clean the fork (and shock and seatpost) stanchions after every ride.
They shouldn't need lubing if the foam rings and lowers are properly lubed, but I sometimes rub over with a bit of fork oil. No idea if it's necessary.

Can't imagine how you are pedalling, but your feet should be relatively straight on the pedals. Is your saddle the right height? - legs should be basically straight with your heel on the pedal, or slightly bent (more kinked) with the ball of your foot on the pedal.