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.

[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.