timsataurus

Hello

I'm just wondering how often other people who use their bike for daily transportation overhaul their bikes.

I took a bike building class last month and it really sank in. I'm currently planning on an overhaul. Just waiting on the parts to be delivered. I'm replacing the crank set, pedals, stem, bar tape, brake pads, and a computer that tracks cadence. In addition to cleaning and adjusting everything else. Once I'm done, my bike will also get a basic fit just to fine tune it. I'm also taking the coops wheel building class next week end. Which will increase my self sufficiency.

I decimated my herd this year (4 other bikes) and just kept the stallion as "the one" Walter (my bike) is a LHDT with a xt/deore drivetrain and derailleurs. I also equipped shimano bar end shifters, cane creek brake levers, and avid bb7 road brakes. I'm changing the 32t chain ring for a 36t which will be used for commuting and 44t for exercise rides. The 22t will round out the deore 9 speed triple.

Here's Walter in a picture I took today. I'm also including a picture of a hawk which sits on the rail next to the mup I ride on daily.


Well thanks for reading.

CliffordK

I fix what breaks. I'm trying to be more proactive with chain replacement. I often ignore bearings unless they start feeling funky (or I'm making a major change on the bike. But, then, it is probably too late, with damaged cones or races.

Machka 

We have 21-ish bicycles ... and it's pretty much an ongoing thing. There's almost always something to maintain, replace, upgrade or whatever. We do try to take pretty good care of our bicycles.

Roody

Since I usually have only one or two bikes at a time, and I need to us them every day, it's hard to find the time for major routine maintenance. So the answer to the question is usually once a year, at the most. This will usually be in the spring, after road salt and abrasive silt have been chewing up the various components for the last five or six months.

timsataurus

This is one of the reasons I got rid of the rest. When I only had one bike I could keep up. Once I had five I couldn't keep clean, let alone maintained. Now that I have only Walter I've been doing better.

The reason for the overhaul this month is when cleaning Walter I noticed the chain rings needed to be replaced.

Could not imagine maintaining a herd that big.

B. Carfree

Bikes that are for joy-riding, the bulk of the herd, are taken care of as needed. Chains are checked every week or two and tossed when they show much over one-sixteenth inch of stretch over 12 inches. I dip the chains in a paraffin-based mix every 300-700 miles or when they squeak. Spare cassettes and chain rings are available in my parts box for those times when a chain change tells me they are needed. Brake pads are checked every month or two and dealt with as needed. I try to check on tires, but mostly only change them after a flat or two (evidence of too much thinning) or when I'm taking off on a tour or very long ride in the hills. If I'm having an anal year, I might even lube the pawls in my wheels and service my pedal axles.

On town bikes, they get ignored until something screams loudly. Oddly, I just did some work on a few today. My son got a new front wheel with a dyno and a pair of new tires. I could see I'll have to change out his chain soon and he is about due for a new rear cog (one-speed). His old front wheel went on my wife's town bike and she got a new rear tire as well.

Next week I have a couple of bikes going off for those once-every-thirty-year jobs. Mine is just getting painted and then I'll rebuild the Ergo shifters and change out the cables. My wife's is also getting painted, but I'm also building new wheels for it and changing it over from downtube shifters seven-speed to Ergo nine-speed. It's also changing from 700C to 650B and getting better brakes and handlebars. It would be cheaper to just replace her bike, but these two bikes have sentimental value for us. I'm going to put the existing wheels from her bike onto an old bike of mine, which amuses me because her wheels were originally my wheels from thirty years ago. A well-built wheel can last a long time, apparently.

Mobile 155

Depends on how you define overhaul. I have extra chain rings and cassettes to be used as needed. Just got a new park tool work stand so one bike or another is I. It most of the time. Tires get replaced at about 2500 miles unless they get cut then sooner. I try to have at least one new set waiting in the parts box. Just got a Praxis chain ring set to replace my SRAM chain rings. The cold pressed rings should last longer and the Turn cranks and bottom bracket are a lot beefier as well. I have a force crankset with Ceramic bearings as a spare as well. Bar tape tends to get replaced twice a year on the road bikes and I have lock on grips on the mountain bike. I would say the brakes get replaced twice a year, and I try to keep a complete set in the parts bin. I don't have a bleeder so the disk brakes go to the shop.

But I guess I service each bike front to back once a month. Clean the chain on each bike once a week. And check the stretch every 300 miles.

kickstart

Depends on the bike.

My daily commuter is a traditional Dutch Gazelle, oiling the chain, and greasing the rollerbrakes a couple times a year is about it except for an annual once over. My other bikes are mostly only for fair weather, and don't need much attention.

79pmooney

I rarely do "overhauls". To me, an overhaul suggests either I am working on parts that could go hundreds or thousands of mile further and therefore wasting time and effort or I have waited too long on some parts and it is going to cost me. I do try to stay on top of things and do what is required in good time.

My fleet is now 5 bikes, a number that works well.

Ben

Bandera

I'm taking my town bike down for an overhaul this winter, it's been in continuous service for >41 years following the same maintenance schedule.
An overhaul is re-packing HS, BB, Hubs, pedals, truing wheels, replacing worn consumables.
How often? Annually should keep all bearing surfaces well lubed and prevent component failures in service unless extreme conditions are encountered.
Using multiple bikes increases OH intervals but even modern grease only lasts so long.

Folks who use their machine to get to work plan ahead and do the job over a weekend, it will take time and the correct tools.
Pre-purchase consumables to have on-hand: cables/housing, brake pads, grease, tubes, tires, chain, cog set, bar tape/grips.
Know what type of BB, HS and hub bearing types you have how they are serviced and what tools are required.

Keep a log, knowing how many miles/months between service intervals helps planning when that next chain/cog set needs replacement.

Have at it.

-Bandera

mconlonx

Most bikes come and go through my life often enough that they never need a complete overhaul. Except the vintage bikes, which get that at the start of ownership -- complete breakdown, clean, and fresh lube on reassembly, replacement parts as needed. For my uber-commuter, I take it down to the frame every couple of years. Mostly just to mess around with it, but I caught some issues which might have become longer term problems. Accessory bolts starting to rust into place which got lube or loctite, seatpost that came out way harder than it went in, lower HS bearing desperately in need of grease, BB needing tightening... If you have a bike that you plan on keeping and the skill/time to do it, a complete overhaul is never a bad thing to do in some downtime or a planned day's event.

Alligator

I've never overhauled a bike. I've just replaced things as they break or wear. Out of curiosity, how did you get into the class you mentioned? I'd love to take one.

wolfchild

I never had to "overhaul" an entire bike... Only replace worn out parts like chain, brake pads, tires and bottom brackets. My bikes are fixed gear and singlespeed, very simple and nothing to go wrong.

timsataurus

The bike co-op in Tucson offers the class. This will be my first time I work on my bike, and I'm doing it at the co-op shop since it only requires a moderate fee. I would imagine that there is a co-op in Minneapolis. I just googled co-op "city I live in"

The class provides you a bike which has been donated. Over the course of five days you spend 20 hours on the project. My plan is do my own bike this month. Since I had shops do the tune ups for me in the past. I was motivated after I spent money for a well known shop to do a crap job. The class was very informative, and their instructors were very supportive. I also want to take the class again next month to further my experience. After that I'm going to volunteer when they fix bikes in the community.

Machka 

Sounds like a great idea!

Roody

Very interesting post. Bike co-ops are awesome!

I don't know if you noticed that there's a sticky thread about bike co-oops in LCF. I hope you'll add the name of your co-op, along with any positive or negative experiences you had there.

https://www.bikeforums.net/living-car...-kitchens.html

timsataurus

I also like pricing structure of this co-op for training. The 20 hour class was 90 bucks, and upon completion the return 45 dollars in credit. This makes the access point affordable for many people. Especially those of us on limited incomes. The last place I looked up classes was expensive at 250, and I could never afford it since other priorities kept coming up. They also had you use your own bike, and I'd met people whom did the class, and ended up taking it to a shop. No name is required of the place though.

I'm scheduled to take their wheel building class this week end. Starting to catch the bug.

Checked and saw that the co-op is listed in the thread already.

Bandera

Being able to maintain your own equipment pays off in more than $$$ saved, knowing that the machine is a safe and reliable has it's own benefits.
Using a co-op's tools and being backed up by experienced mechanics is a smart play.

-Bandera

wahoonc

Whenever they need it. I seldom do complete tear down. Just repair things that need it.

Aaron

Artkansas 

Several years ago I took my bike in for an overhaul. $300 in parts and labor for a bike that was originally a freebie. It was money well spent.

fietsbob

A Piece at a time ..

Fargo Wolf

Depends on how many miles you put on your bike(s). If you ride it once in a while and look after it, it may not need an overhaul for 20 years. If it's ridden hard every day, it may need an overhaul every 3-5 years. I'd say that, on average, an overhaul would be done every 10 years for a bike that's ridden on a regular basis, such as commuting. A qualified, reputable LBS would be able to tell you if one (an overhaul) is needed after an inspection and/or tune up is done. But that's just my viewpoint. Others will say differently.