timing for tune-ups, brakes, etc??

Ended up at bike shops for repairs/maintenance every day last weekend! Saturday for new rear brakes, Sunday for a new pedal, and Monday I took it in to my regular LBS for a cleaning and tune-up (wanted them to check it after work done by unknown shops and having some longer than usual rides coming up).

My bike is a Trek 7500 FX, just under a year old, probably about 1500 miles. I do tend to ride the rear bike a bit (due to fear of downhills!). The pedal had to be replaced because the aluminum part bent away from the rest of the pedal (I think it got caught on a curb). And as a new rider, I perhaps am not the world's smoothest gear shifter.

Even so, does this all seem excessive? Am I doing something wrong or should I just be glad that I was near bike shops when the need arose?

Many people just schedule a tune-up once a year before riding season begins. Hopefully your shop will catch things like worn brake pads or stretched chanins/cables before they become a problem.

It doesn't sound like you are doing anything wrong, but you might try using both brakes (front and rear) in unison and feathering (or tapping lightly) the brake levers.

thx pedalfaster. I did think about taking my bike in at the beginning of the season, but it had so few miles on it, it seemed laughable. I wasn't expecting to ride as much--happy surprise.

As it turned out, I dropped it at my LBS on Monday evening after my ride and picked it up on my way home from work on Tuesday. Hey, maybe I can now consider myself a bike commuter!