Post Ride Maintenance?

[minn]

Clearly I'm new...I'm not sure what I need to be doing with my bike when I get back from a ride. This is a pretty general question, maybe it's been discussed before? Otherwise, anyone have a check off list for post-ride maintenance? Thanks!

[indysteel]

Clearly I'm new...I'm not sure what I need to be doing with my bike when I get back from a ride. 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.

[Melalvai]

minn, what kind of rides do you do? Daily commute? Roads? Trails? Off-road? Does it involve fording rivers?

[minn]

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.

[Melalvai]

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.

[kenshinvt]

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.