Bought a bike today and totally clueless.

H

haroescape

Likes Bikes
Sorry guys but I just thought of another question I had...:eek:

After I have ridden the bike do you think it is ok to just rinse it with the hose on a mist and then let it drip dry in the shed? (I hand dried it yesterday however a few people have said to just let it drip dry).

Also when I hand dry it could it be bad to get some lubrication of some of the machanical parts onto the rag and then have it transfer to any other parts of the bike? As in could it be bad for the paint or maybe plastics or something (like if it was petrolium based).

The guy at the shop said to just rinse it and leave it to drip dry in the shed would be fine, he also mentioned that its important to keep all the mechanical things lubricated.

On this bike I think that may only really be the chain and maybe the derailleur (sorry just wanted to use the fancy new word:p), because I think all the other bearings etc are sealed units?

Also is it ok to mention the shop where I bought it from and sort of give them a plug because they have been so great?

Thanks

Craig
 
Techno Destructo

Techno Destructo

Riding In Peace
Spraying it with a mist is good. Avoid using direct stream or high powered water if you can, since it's bad for the bike's moving parts (bearings, hubs, bottom brackets, etc...)

As for drying, I prefer to dry as much of the bike as possible by hand before putting it away.

As for parts you want to be careful about when cleaning/drying... the big one is disc rotors. These are the metal discs on your wheels that are used for braking. Be VERY careful around these and the little units (called calipers) that are the other part of the brake (part of the disc runs through these things). Any lubricant on these guys will severely mess up your disc brakes. I wouldn't even attempt to hand dry this stuff. I'd definitely let this part of the bike drip-dry.

And if you thought the shop was great, sure! Give it a free plug!
 
Techno Fatigue

Techno Fatigue

Likes Bikes
haroescape said:
Oh ok thanks, only I think that I won't be anywhere near as hard on the bike as you think because I am not a good rider and I definately can't do tricks or anything but that could change WAY into the future!:D

Although hopefully I will get to ride it a lot so maybe things will break.
Click to expand...
oh sorry I wasn't meaning you need to make these changes, I was just answering your queries to MMelissa's reply.

I should have been a little clearer.
 
Pebble

Pebble

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I usually wash my bike with a bucket of soapy water (with a cloth & brushes), hose off the suds then dry with an old towel (or cloth nappy in my case:))

If it's a real muddy ride I like to hose the mud off as soon as I get home (not using the high pressure setting of course!).

You can get stuff called "Iso Pro" in a pump spray bottle for about $9 from Dick Smiths (or Tandy?). Great for cleaning the rotors if you do happen to get any grease or oil on them.

Your bike shop probably told you this already, if you have hydraulic disc brakes then make sure you don't squeeze the brake lever if you happen to take the front or rear wheel off the bike for any reason.

And don't worry it's normal not to want to damage the bike at least until you get a couple of scratches on it from falling off!:D After that you won't worry as much.
 
H

haroescape

Likes Bikes
Techno Destructo said:
Spraying it with a mist is good. Avoid using direct stream or high powered water if you can, since it's bad for the bike's moving parts (bearings, hubs, bottom brackets, etc...)

As for drying, I prefer to dry as much of the bike as possible by hand before putting it away.

As for parts you want to be careful about when cleaning/drying... the big one is disc rotors. These are the metal discs on your wheels that are used for braking. Be VERY careful around these and the little units (called calipers) that are the other part of the brake (part of the disc runs through these things). Any lubricant on these guys will severely mess up your disc brakes. I wouldn't even attempt to hand dry this stuff. I'd definitely let this part of the bike drip-dry.

And if you thought the shop was great, sure! Give it a free plug!
Click to expand...

Thanks Techno, so do you try to dry parts like the brakes and derailleur housings by hand?

Also the front brake pad is rubbing slightly on the rotor, should I try to adjust it or ask the shop to, or will it just wear in anyway?

Thanks

Craig
 
H

haroescape

Likes Bikes
Pebble said:
I usually wash my bike with a bucket of soapy water (with a cloth & brushes), hose off the suds then dry with an old towel (or cloth nappy in my case:))

If it's a real muddy ride I like to hose the mud off as soon as I get home (not using the high pressure setting of course!).

You can get stuff called "Iso Pro" in a pump spray bottle for about $9 from Dick Smiths (or Tandy?). Great for cleaning the rotors if you do happen to get any grease or oil on them.

Your bike shop probably told you this already, if you have hydraulic disc brakes then make sure you don't squeeze the brake lever if you happen to take the front or rear wheel off the bike for any reason.

And don't worry it's normal not to want to damage the bike at least until you get a couple of scratches on it from falling off!:D After that you won't worry as much.
Click to expand...

Thanks Pebble, do you use like a tooth brush or something to do the fiddly parts like the mechanical parts or something?

I think your right definately best to wash it as soon as you get home, thats what I plan on doing, I think it would be easier to wash then and better for the bike.

My brakes are cable operated, so I don't think they are hydraulic as I think that would use fluid or something wouldn't it?

I know what you mean about damaging it, I am almost looking forward to it happening so that I hopefully become less worried and get over it a little:(

Thanks

Craig
 
H

haroescape

Likes Bikes
Grip said:
I've actually got an 8.3 frame for sale at the moment so I did a bit of research on them and this is what I found. Check the links and you should be pleasantly surprised.

http://www.harobikes.com/2004/escape83/

http://www.bikemag.com/gear/092205_haro/


I should also mention that I actually didn't find any real negative stuff about the bike in any of the reviews I found.

Cheers
Click to expand...

Hi Grip,

Thanks for that, I think that bike is a newer/better bike than mine though, if you look at the previous link in this thread the frame in your link looks different/bigger/stronger.

The links are probably still relevant, I'm just not sure how relevant, you guys might though.

Craig
 
TheBofh

TheBofh

Likes Dirt
Hi Craig,

Welcome to bikeholism, a couple of points that might save you some pain:

If you are saving for a house/car/wedding or anything like that move it to an account that you can't access without the permission of a responsible adult, (you are now a bike addict & can no longer be trusted with money). At the same time try and get your partner/best mate/Mum into it too.

Get all your safety gear, helmet(s), (XC, dirt lid, fullface), riding sunnies/goggles, shin/knee/arm pads, gloves, hydration pack, sorted before you get injured; I went through the process by hurting myself & then buying padding to cover that spot instead of the other way round.

Get some good tools & visit http://www.parktool.com/ to learn how to use them; you will enjoy riding a lot more & it will minimise your downtime if you can tweak the bike & do minor repairs yourself.

Get a good bikerack, Grip does the best ones, insurance cover for your baby, (you can have it as a named item on your house & contents), a stout cable lock & organise yourself to be able to go within an hours notice, (some of the best rides I've been on were at really short notice).

Hang around the forums & find some people to ride with, most of us don't care how new you are, (I am particularly crap myself & have my arm in a cast as a testimony to my crapness), as long as you ride & you won't find a better group of people to hang out with.
 
Pebble

Pebble

Likes Bikes and Dirt
haroescape said:
Thanks Pebble, do you use like a tooth brush or something to do the fiddly parts like the mechanical parts or something?

I think your right definately best to wash it as soon as you get home, thats what I plan on doing, I think it would be easier to wash then and better for the bike.

My brakes are cable operated, so I don't think they are hydraulic as I think that would use fluid or something wouldn't it?

I know what you mean about damaging it, I am almost looking forward to it happening so that I hopefully become less worried and get over it a little:(

Thanks

Craig
Click to expand...
Yeah a toothbrush for the hard to get to places and just a small square brush for the tires and anything else. However if you're cleaning the cassette (gear cluster attached to the rear wheel) a thin cloth slid between the cogs does a really good job weather you're doing a wet clean or just a dry wipe over. You can actually buy specific brushes from bike shops but they tend to be a bit expensive.

Your bike shop probably told you that cables will stretch a bit and gears / brakes may start not working quite as well. The bike shop will fix it all up when you take it in for the first service, probably a good time to ask if they could show you how to adjust a few things yourself if you want to know (like brakes mainly).

And it's a good idea to have a few accessories to take on your rides like:
Helmet, Gloves, Multitool, Spare Tube / Pump / Puncture repair kit and of course water!

Camelbacks aren't that cheap but really good if you don't like carrying water bottles on your bike (or you find you always run out of water on rides). I have a 3 litre Mule and it holds enough water, tools and a spare tube / pump, first aid kit.

Like any new sport / hobby lots of things to learn and even more things you could buy! Hope you're enjoying it so far!
 
H

haroescape

Likes Bikes
TheBofh said:
Hi Craig,

Welcome to bikeholism, a couple of points that might save you some pain:

If you are saving for a house/car/wedding or anything like that move it to an account that you can't access without the permission of a responsible adult, (you are now a bike addict & can no longer be trusted with money). At the same time try and get your partner/best mate/Mum into it too.

Get all your safety gear, helmet(s), (XC, dirt lid, fullface), riding sunnies/goggles, shin/knee/arm pads, gloves, hydration pack, sorted before you get injured; I went through the process by hurting myself & then buying padding to cover that spot instead of the other way round.

Get some good tools & visit http://www.parktool.com/ to learn how to use them; you will enjoy riding a lot more & it will minimise your downtime if you can tweak the bike & do minor repairs yourself.

Get a good bikerack, Grip does the best ones, insurance cover for your baby, (you can have it as a named item on your house & contents), a stout cable lock & organise yourself to be able to go within an hours notice, (some of the best rides I've been on were at really short notice).

Hang around the forums & find some people to ride with, most of us don't care how new you are, (I am particularly crap myself & have my arm in a cast as a testimony to my crapness), as long as you ride & you won't find a better group of people to hang out with.
Click to expand...
Hi TheBofh,

Luckily I can't afford to spend much money on it for a while, the missus will probably want control of the finances soon, she was a bit shocked when I told her what I had bought. I am thinking about buying her a bike too, hopefully that will get her on side:D

I'll definately look into the gear when things get a bit more serious (which I really hope they do!).

I have a lot of tools, however I am assuming there are specialised ones possibly required? I haven't gone through that link yet.

Do you mean a bikerack for the car? I hadn't even thought of that yet, I've been putting it in the back seat which is a bit of a pain.

Thanks

Craig
 
H

haroescape

Likes Bikes
Pebble said:
Yeah a toothbrush for the hard to get to places and just a small square brush for the tires and anything else. However if you're cleaning the cassette (gear cluster attached to the rear wheel) a thin cloth slid between the cogs does a really good job weather you're doing a wet clean or just a dry wipe over. You can actually buy specific brushes from bike shops but they tend to be a bit expensive.

Your bike shop probably told you that cables will stretch a bit and gears / brakes may start not working quite as well. The bike shop will fix it all up when you take it in for the first service, probably a good time to ask if they could show you how to adjust a few things yourself if you want to know (like brakes mainly).

And it's a good idea to have a few accessories to take on your rides like:
Helmet, Gloves, Multitool, Spare Tube / Pump / Puncture repair kit and of course water!

Camelbacks aren't that cheap but really good if you don't like carrying water bottles on your bike (or you find you always run out of water on rides). I have a 3 litre Mule and it holds enough water, tools and a spare tube / pump, first aid kit.

Like any new sport / hobby lots of things to learn and even more things you could buy! Hope you're enjoying it so far!
Click to expand...

It sounds like you take great care of your bike, thanks for the tips!

Yeah they mentioned about the cables when it gets serviced, good idea I will ask about the brakes, although I just got back from a ride and I think they might have stopped touching so maybe they just needed to wear in a bit?

What is a multitool? As I get more serious I can tell I will definately have to do some more shopping!:(

Thanks

Craig
 
H

haroescape

Likes Bikes
Quote:
Originally Posted by ripd'n'curld
It was said earlier, Haro went down hill in a big way in the mountain bike scene, and they have only started to put some half decent bikes on the market 2007-2008.
I have just recently sold my bike which was a $8500-$9000 downhill mountain bike (not a Haro) and I miss riding it at the moment, even though I never had the time anyway, back on topic, as stated in the link your bike is more of a street bike/jump bike, If you just plan to ride it in the bush/nasho, fitness rides etc, you may want to opt for a more suitable bike like a cross country bike (XC).

Stockel if your doing jumps the bike is good for you (depending on your weight and quality of parts), but being a (Hardtail) its going to be a bit punishing on your body/back/joints as you have no suspension in the rear, and majority of these bike do not have the correct gearing for riding in the bush.
eg. hardtails tend to only have one chainring/sprocket, on the rare occassion you will find two chainrings but these will be found on cheaper do it all models that dont really do it all, eg hardtail/XC jump bike. (its one or the other).
Stockel, in my opinion you have bought the wrong bike, but you can still ride it anywhere, just not in comfortably.

Hardtail = Jump/Street bike, no rear suspension.
XC = all mountain/cross country, average suspesion travel 3", 4", 5 inches.
Freeride = the do it all bike, 6 inches-9 inches of wheel travel front and back.
Downhill = dedicated for downhill, 8 inches-12 inches of wheel travel.

Quote:
Originally Posted by RedXR347
WASH?!?! BIKE?!?! Do people do that?

depends how much $ you spend on it

-SHIFTN

With a $9$$$ bike you would want to wash it once a week and keep things all lubed up and tight.


Is there anything/tricks I should know about looking after the bike? (do I need to hand dry it like I did?).

do not hose the forks rubber bushes/seals, as the water will go into the lowers and mix with the oil, plus you will be washing dirt in their as well and the seals wont last the year and then your forks will shite themselves and you will need to send them away for a service and get new seals and bushes.
$$$$



Hi mate,
I am pretty much riding it everywhere and I think thats some of the problem when you start getting into better bikes the more narrowly focused they seem to become, I love it but that could just because I don't know anything about bikes.

Is it ok to just hose the forks with a really soft mist? (Thats how I hose the whole bike).

Thanks

Craig


This is from another forum (car forum), I don't really understand why he said I bought the wrong bike? What do you guys think? He has not replied wondering what you guys think about what he said?

Thanks

Craig
 
H

haroescape

Likes Bikes
Hi guys,

Sorry ANOTHER question!

There are parts of the handle bars and the frame of my bike where there is goo left over from stickers I had to take off.

Whats the best way to get rid of it as its pretty stubborn, would a bit of metholated spirits on a rag be ok?

Thanks

Craig
 
donthucktoflat

donthucktoflat

Eats Squid
metho and a rag is fine, but just be light with it and be sure not to take off the finish cos it'll look worse than the stickers:p

welcome to farkin BTW! good to see a new member not be a friggin idiot
 
H

haroescape

Likes Bikes
donthucktoflat said:
metho and a rag is fine, but just be light with it and be sure not to take off the finish cos it'll look worse than the stickers:p

welcome to farkin BTW! good to see a new member not be a friggin idiot
Click to expand...
Thanks for that, although I just looked and I don't have any metho:rolleyes:...

Thanks for the welcome, if you met me in person you might change your opinion of me:D, whats wrong with new members?

Craig

Oh and this bike (from earlier link) seems to be an older model from looking at the Haro website,

http://boulderbikesmith.com/images/bikes/04escape82.jpg
 
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