General Maintenance Questions

[Trek420]

I have lots of books, Zinn and the Art of Bicycle Maintanence, and tools but the only thing I do is clean and lube the bike.

Don't clean your bike without lube after
Don't lube the bike unless you've cleaned before

Good thread here

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...chain+cleaning

[boy in a kilt]

You've got the necessary stuff going after each ride.

I ride in the rain a lot, so I take a piece of fine grit sand paper and take the goop off my pads about once every other week during the wet season.

About once a month or so, give the wheels a check to make sure they are true. If they are out of round, you'll know it. Easiest to do with a truing stand but using your brake pads works just as well. While you are at it, check your brake pads for wear.

If you ride in the rain a lot and don't have sealed bearings, check the bottom bracket and hubs every six months or so (less often if you don't ride in the rain).

About once a year or so, I'll pull out things that I don't normally touch like my seat post and my binder bolt, water bottle cage and rack bolts and give them a little grease so they don't get cold welded to the frame. If your whole frame is carbon fiber, you don't need to worry about this.