robbyville

I maintain my bike regularly, tires, chain, anything else as necessary.

when I was much younger we used to recommend tearing down the bike completely, re packing the headset, bottom bracket, and hubs. Granted this was in the days of loose or caged ball bearings.

Do you still do this or is it still recommended and if so how often? My bike has about 7000 miles on it. The hubs are still new as I seem to enjoy buying and selling wheelsets but both the BB and Headset are from my original installation.

There is no rain where I live but very dusty here in the Desert.

thoughts?

MagicHour

With all sealed bearings in my bikes these days I don't bother, I just check it regularly to make sure everything is spinning smooth, bolts are torqued, nothing loose etc.

Occasionally (maybe once a season) I'll pop off the BBs (threaded BSA) regrease and reinstall just in case of water ingress, to prevent seizure etc or if I'm making a handlebar/stem adjustment while it's apart I'll give the headset bearings (sealed) a wipe and new coating of grease. Same for seatpost - regrease/reinstall to prevent seizure, make sure frame looks ok etc.

_ForceD_

Regarding the headset...when I've dismantled old bikes to refurbish them...I've almost always found that the headset was in relatively good condition. So generally I don't take them apart just to do routine maintenance. As far as the BB...with both the old loose/caged bearings, and cartridge BBs...from time to time I will take both pedal cranks off and move them 90° or 180° on the spindle. It changes the pressure/wear point on the spindle I guess...but not the race. So I guess I might get a little more mileage out of it. Might not help much, but it doesn't hurt.
Dan

Iride01 

When I was pre-teen and early teen I used to tear my bike down to the bare bearings several times a year. Except for the learning experience, I think it was wasted time. Could have been out riding.

Preventative maintenance does have a place, but usually for things where it's a life and death issue or potential liability issue. Such as airplane maintenance or commercial vehicle maintenance. Lawsuits and legal costs excluded, PM is more expensive in many cases than just waiting for a problem to show itself. And for personal bicycles, as I said previously, I could be out riding instead of fretting.

robbyville

Thanks! I think next time I wash the bike I’ll pop off the crank and see how it feels. I’m pretty sure everything is fine.

Litespud

I keep three chains in rotation, swapping out every ~500 miles and installing a clean one. Every ~1500 miles, I strip down the drivetrain - remove and thoroughly clean the rings, cassette and jockey wheels, and give the derailleurs a degrease, rinse and relube in situ. Once every few years, I'll pull and regrease the brakes, seat post, BB and pedals, and take a look at the cables, greasing or replacing as necessary. I haven't touched the King headset in years. I overhauled the Campag shifters ~2003 - they're probably due another round. I ride year round, but conditions in central NC are pretty benign

rubiksoval

I only take headsets and bbs apart when I hear noise.

Kimmo

If I haven't built a bike, I'll pull it apart once, put it back together properly and forget about it.