jaquimas

...I've come to realize I have no idea how to take care of this thing.

My bike is 2 1/2 months old and I've put around 110 miles on it. Most of my riding is on crushed limestone trails. Trails have been mostly dry so I'm not seeing much mud splatter, but white dust abounds. I'm noticing any lubricated metal parts are lookin' a little icky, with a nice amount of dust joining the grease. Since I'm heavy I'm concerned that the dirt and weight combined could do some damage to parts faster than with a lighter rider.

What should I be doing for daily bike cleaning or maintenance? How often should I take it in to a pro to look at, clean, and/or check it over to make sure I'm not doing any damage? ~265#, usually riding 8-12mph on pretty flat and well maintained limestone trails. Since riding will take a big hit over the winter, do I need to have it cleaned and re-greased for the downtime, rather than have dusty greased parts sit dirty until spring?

Thanks!

TheLibrarian

You can clean and grease the chain. Mine is 2 years old and i havn't cleaned the chain yet but 6 months ago i did buy cheap chain grease from walmart and intend to do it. I was also concerned about cleaning it before winter. I read an interesting thing the other day: aluminum does not rust. It may corrode but the white layer of corrosion only makes it stronger and will not corrode all the way through. Gears, chains, cogs may still be steel idk. Suppose to clean the chain and gears anyway as the gunk slows u down. get right up in between the teeth and gears.

As for maintenance, dont forget the brake pads. An obvious enough thing but i just did mine and it needed it. You can probably check your air pressure every ride but every few weeks is fine, I even wait until something seems wrong but as u can tell I am neglectful. I believe regular soap and water is fine for the chain and the rest of the bike too. Along with brake pads are brake adjustments but i probably should have replaced the pads when i 1st felt like they needed an adjustment.

Johnny Mullet

Basically keep the chain and gears clean and lubed and unless you experience any issues it should be good to go. Before storing it for winter you want the bike washed, clean, and dry and you need the chain clean and lubed and any bare metal parts should be wiped with a little oil like exposed cables, chainrings, etc to keep them from rusting or corroding.

Pamestique 

There is lots of good articles on the internet about bike maintenance. Stores, like REI, offer beginner maintenance classes.

Basic rule... keep the drive train clean and lubed, not greased. If possible never take a hose to your bike. There is nothing wrong with alittle dirt. If it needs cleaning (say it got muddy) let the mud dry and then brush the dirt and grime off with a painter's brush and soft cloth. Pledge works great. Make sure you do not get it on the brake pad/disc and wheel rims.

I do the following every ride:

I lube my chain with a good product such as ProLink (research what lube products what's best for your particular riding conditions). While lubing, I also use a soft cloth and wipe the chain clean.

I inflate and inspect my tires before each ride. Proper inflation will prevent pinch flats and inspection watching for issues such as a tear in the tire especially if you ride on gravel.

Once a year I tear the bike down and do a full tune-up. You can have a shop do this for you as well. You might also consider greasing (now grease this not use lube) the seat post (after a good cleaning/wiping off grime). This is a good time to inspect brake pads and the chain for wear.

You didn't mention if your bike has suspension. If at least front fork, turn the bike upside overnight once in awhile so the lubrication in hte piston has a chance to distribute evenly. Also, good idea to wipe the piston clean of grime/dust each ride so the grime/dust is not pushed into the sleeves.

Black wallnut 

Agree mostly with Pamestique! Keep the chain clean and lubricated with a chain lube of your choice, never grease. Grease is for bearings and places you don't want to squeak.

There is no reason not to hose off your bike. Just do not use a high pressure spray directed at bearings or hubs. Up here int he PNW bikes get drenched frequently by rain and road spray while being transported and of course ridden. The more you get it wet the more maintenance it will need.

Cables if stainless steel do not need lube to keep from rusting and perhaps worse any oil or lube will attract dirt and could carry dirt into the cable housing resulting in friction and needing to change your cables more often.

tyrion

About time for an initial tune up. On a new bike the cables and spokes get seated in and stretch out a little during the first couple hundred miles and everything could use a little adjustment. Often an LBS includes an initial tune up with the price of the bike. As a clyde I'd pay special attention to the wheels, make sure they get retensioned nicely after the break-in.

bmthom.gis

Cables should have been lubed at the shop that assembled it with a very lightweight grease (I like Slick Honey, personally). Once attached, rarely will you ever need to lube the cable again.

+1 that there is no reason to not use a hose...it won't hurt anything. All my bikes have been used in the rain. They dry. The parts with bearings are sealed and greased.

If you want some maintenance done, look around for deals...as winter comes and business drops off, plenty of shops will advertise maintenance specials. Just don't wait until spring, or it may take a week or so to get your bike back.

Nothing wrong with riding in the winter! I find it fairly enjoyable, myself. Makes the spring a lot easier if you don't start from square 1 and then all of a sudden you have to get used to sitting on a saddle again, etc etc

ColaJacket

Add me as another one that says there is nothing with using a hose to wash off your bike. Just don't use any pressure when rinsing around the bottom bracket and the hubs.

Also agree that it is probably time to take the bike back to the LBS for some adjustments, since the cables have had time to stretch a little. And it wouldn't hurt to have them spot check the trueness of the wheels and the tension on the spokes.

GH