Post Ride Maintenance?

[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.

[OakLeaf]

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.

When washing the bike, never turn a hose nozzle on it, and make sure water doesn't get into any holes in the frame.

[Bike Goddess]

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.

[Melalvai]

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.