bike maintenance

thepeddler said:

Hi All,

This may seem a basic question, but what sort of routine maintenance should I be doing on my bike. I brought a Giant CRX 4 flat bar road bike which i use to commute and for longer rides (2-3 hrs) on the weekend.

I have brought some bicycle specific oil and have used it on the chain links but is there anything else I should or should not be oiling?

thanks

Chain is the big one for what you're doing. Hopefully you are cleaning it before you lube it. If not, you can use a good biodegradeable degreaser, spray it all over, let it sit and rinse with a little water. Crud should pour off of it. Dry it well, spin it out and relube with oil and wipe down well to get the excess off. Let dry. I do little else. With a new bike like this BB and hubs should be sealed cartridge and require no maintainance. Just replace when worn out. Your cables may stretch a bit, but it's easy enough to snug them up and you're on your way! Happy biking!🙂

The owner's manual that comes with the bike contains the maintenance schedule. 😉

rwinthenorth said:

Chain is the big one for what you're doing. Hopefully you are cleaning it before you lube it. If not, you can use a good biodegradeable degreaser, spray it all over, let it sit and rinse with a little water. Crud should pour off of it. Dry it well, spin it out and relube with oil and wipe down well to get the excess off. Let dry. I do little else. With a new bike like this BB and hubs should be sealed cartridge and require no maintainance. Just replace when worn out. Your cables may stretch a bit, but it's easy enough to snug them up and you're on your way! Happy biking!🙂

Thanks for the reply,

How often do you clean and re-lube?

thepeddler said:

Thanks for the reply,

How often do you clean and re-lube?

Clean and lube at least every 200 miles or so unless your riding in crummy weather, then do it right after your ride. I'm obsessive, Ilike to clean and lube after every other ride 70 miles or so. Depends on how long you want the chain and cassette to wear.

Thanks again mate.