Clearly I'm new...I'm not sure what I need to be doing with my bike when I get back from a ride. :o This is a pretty general question, maybe it's been discussed before? Otherwise, anyone have a check off list for post-ride maintenance? Thanks!
Printable View
Clearly I'm new...I'm not sure what I need to be doing with my bike when I get back from a ride. :o This is a pretty general question, maybe it's been discussed before? Otherwise, anyone have a check off list for post-ride maintenance? Thanks!
Hmmm. Interesting question. I don't do much but wipe the frame down (I keep some Simple Green wipes in my car and garage) and, every few rides, wipe the chain and relube. I give it a more thorough clean every month or so and I change the tires as needed. Otherwise, I check most things, like tire pressure) before a ride. I could be more diligent about checking my tires for glass and whatnot, but I have to admit to some laziness in that regard. Short of something not working correctly, I don't do much else. I do, however, take it into the shop for regular maintenance every few months.Quote:
Originally Posted by minn
minn, what kind of rides do you do? Daily commute? Roads? Trails? Off-road? Does it involve fording rivers?
I wish it involved that fording rivers!! Sweet.
I'm just road biking for fitness (and training for a tri) every other day or so....I guess I might be a little obsessed with the care of my bike, hey? It's new, so I'm not sure how much maintenance needs to be done.
You probably don't need to clean it every single ride. You might set yourself a maintenance schedule based on miles. Clean the chain (wipe with rag I mean) and lube every 200-400 miles or after a rainy ride, replace the chain every 1000-1500 miles, that kind of thing.
You should probably clean the bike pretty thoroughly after you ford a river. :D
good advice above about watching the mileage and letting that be your guide. Always clean & lube your chain (and rest of bike) after a rainy ride or other bad weather--these cause a lot more buildup and gunk.
Also, make sure before each ride you check your tire pressure is the correct PSI.
And always wash the bike when it's been exposed to salt (either ice melter or beach air).
I had beach air completely ruin the finish on a pair of BRAND NEW polished aluminum hubs once, and I DID wash the bike as soon as I came back. :mad:
When washing the bike, never turn a hose nozzle on it, and make sure water doesn't get into any holes in the frame.
I hang my bikes on a rack that sticks out from the wall. This allows me to do chain lube and cleaning quite easily.
Re Chain lube- depending on what kind of lube you use, depends on how often you should lube your chain.
I have ProLube on one bike and White Lightning on the other. I generally wipe the chain down on the ProLube bike after about 100 miles. I'll check it, however, when I get back from a ride to see if there is much crud on it. In that case, I take some bikewash on a paper towel and wipe it down, then give it a little lube. Next time I ride, I wipe off the excess.
On the WhiteLightning chain, I lube it every ride (my minimum rides are 45 miles) and wipe it down. This is a wax based chain so I have to wipe it down right away or it all turns solid! I'm testing out this lube as I found on this bike (10 speed) I seem to be replacing my chain pretty often (every 1200-1500 miles) and I want to see if a wax based lube is any different.
Your LBS mechanic has a tool that will measure chain wear so you will always know when to change your chain. He/she should be able to do that in 2 minutes.
Another tip- be sure to wipe down UNDER your bike frame- stuff from your water bottle gets under there and the cables can get gummed up. You'll be surprised to see how much dirt you pick up after a ride!
I also check my wheels, tires etc for dirt and such. When I'm really feeling energetic, I will take the wheels off the bike and give them a good wash. It's not hard to do, and the spokes and rims will look so much nicer. When you do that, might as well check the rest of your bike- places on your frame where you can't clean with the wheels on.
I treat my bikes like my car-keep it clean inside and out. Take care of the engine and all the other parts and it will do you well for many a year.:D
My bike mechanic says my grimy, paint-chipped, rust-spotted bike is better looking than his fresh blue bike because mine is obviously being ridden lots. His doesn't see too many miles. I spend a lot of time on my drivetrain and keep the cables and brakes/rims clear of grime, but rarely touch the rest of the bike.