Maintenance

[njclifford]

Hey fellas,

just got a new bike and was curious as to weekly servicing? I know I should keep it clean etc weekly, but to what level?

Should I clean the chain (degrease) and lube it weekly?

Also, what is the best was of cleaning / lubing the chain, cassette and chain rings?

Also, for general cleaning, is it best to use soap or dishwashing liquid? (I heard once that one of them conatined a bit of salt, but cant remember!)

I ride in Brisbane, about 200 - 250km a week.

Thanks

Nick

 

[Lama]

Hey congrats on the purchace...... i know what its like, you have a flash new bike & want it to stay that way.

Its prob. best to give you bike a wash once a week (especially if you are doing that amount of milage) I use a fairly sudsy car wash mix & give the bike a good (wheels off) wash.

yeah your right, its dishwashing liquid that often contains sodium - stay away from the stuff!!

as far as the chain goes, i am quite fortunate that i have access at work to industrial degreasing & ultrasonic cleaning equipment, so thats what i use every 1000k's. But you can get handy little attachments that you run your chain through that apparantly work fairly well - a good LBS should sort you out.

good luck with it all

 

[kleng]

Hi

I'd only clean the chain when its dirty, I use one of these.

http://www.finishlineusa.com/products/chain-cleaner.htm

For the rest of the bike its just a thorough wipe down with

http://www.finishlineusa.com/products/pro-detailer.htm

which keeps it clean and polished.

 

[rudycyclist]

I'll throw my two cents in about lubes:

I use/used finish line dry lube and it's alright at best. I thought it wore off quickly and didn't keep me running well. I now started using white lightning. I think it's a wonderful product and highly recommend it. It ran very smooth and was nice. It supposedly "sheds" dirt, but my first couple rides were in rain so I cannot comment on that.

 

[motorhommer]

Hey fellas,

just got a new bike and was curious as to weekly servicing? I know I should keep it clean etc weekly, but to what level?

Should I clean the chain (degrease) and lube it weekly?

Also, what is the best was of cleaning / lubing the chain, cassette and chain rings?

Also, for general cleaning, is it best to use soap or dishwashing liquid? (I heard once that one of them conatined a bit of salt, but cant remember!)

I ride in Brisbane, about 200 - 250km a week.

Thanks

Nick

A lot depends on your mileage and the weather you commute in.

Check tyres one a week
Oil chain once a week or more in Winter every 2 weeks or more Summer
Check brake block wear once every 2 weeks
Chain once a month for wear
Oil derailleur hinges once a month or more
Change cables once a year, if you want less, then only rear gear cable
Change bottom bracket once a year,longer if you want
Grease hub bearings once/twice a year
Grease headset once a year
Grease stem/seat post once a year
Grease Jockey wheels twice a year
Overhaul pedals once a year
Check wheels every month for lateral and radial adjustment.