Maintenance for the inexperienced.....

S

-|Sean|-

Likes Dirt
What should I be doing to my bike after an (unexpected) ride in the rain?
Anything that should be dried off? Fork Stanchions? Lube the Drivetrain?

Considering I just bought a new bike, and obviously want this one to last and be maintained correctly, AND I'm still quite inexperienced at bike maintenance - I'm being cautious :p

What does everybody else do after riding in the rain?
 
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Fisher

Fisher

Likes Bikes and Dirt
First, clean off all the dirt and mud and make it look shiny again and wait for it to dry.
Second, re-lube the chain, Do not use CRC as i used to make this mistake when i first got my bike. Now i just use my mates grease, i don't even know if this is the right stuff yet lol but its working.
Then you should be right, just make sure most stuff is clean and that the allen key bolts on your headset are dry as in quite a few bikes they rust and look not nice. :eek:
 
M

Matt C

Likes Dirt
Fisher said:
First, clean off all the dirt and mud and make it look shiny again and wait for it to dry.
Second, re-lube the chain, Do not use CRC as i used to make this mistake when i first got my bike. Now i just use my mates grease, i don't even know if this is the right stuff yet lol but its working.
Then you should be right, just make sure most stuff is clean and that the allen key bolts on your headset are dry as in quite a few bikes they rust and look not nice. :eek:
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Please tell me you meant 'lube' on your chain and not grease :eek:
 
funkymonkey

funkymonkey

Likes Dirt
First thing i do is make sure my wife doesnt see me wheel the bike through the house...

Then:

Just keep an eye on any mud/dirt forming around the seals on your forks/shock, and clear it out when you can.

Other than that, give it a quick once over and maybe some lube on the chain. If its really muddy, take it of, degrease and then lube up...
 
S

-|Sean|-

Likes Dirt
So should I be:

1. Letting the chain air dry, then lube?
2. Wipe down the chain, then lube?
3. Lube while still wet?

For future reference - If I remove the chain and fully degrease/clean, should I be wiping it down after degreasing and then lubing? Or leaving it to air dry - then lubing?

Mud isn't much of a problem, fork seals are all free of mud/dirt.
 
AngoXC

AngoXC

Wheel size expert
funkymonkey said:
First thing i do is make sure my wife doesnt see me wheel the bike through the house...
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Im with you on this one though I have it worse. I have to get it by my mum!

First thing I do is attack my fork stanchions with a soft cloth. Clearing away accumulated shit around the tops of the wiper seals as well as cleaning the stanchions themselves (including oil/dirt 'tide marks'). Manufacturers wiper seals (rubber) do allow some contaminats to pass since they are not made to precise tolerances like say, polyurethan wipers but this is usually when there is a fair amount of crap already on them. Cleaning them not only prevents the likelyhood of contaminants passing into the internals of your forks, but also frees the sliders for smoother operation.

If its say just water (and not mud) I will usually dry the frame etc as well as the chain and then attack everything with a proper degrease/lube at a later stage when its not as wet. Mud? Best option is to hose it off ('shower' spray to avoid getting shit into places it shouldnt), dry with a towel and do a once over with the lube on your chain.
 
funkymonkey

funkymonkey

Likes Dirt
TH3RM0 said:
So should I be:


1. Letting the chain air dry, then lube?
2. Wipe down the chain, then lube?
3. Lube while still wet?

For future reference - If I remove the chain and fully degrease/clean, should I be wiping it down after degreasing and then lubing? Or leaving it to air dry - then lubing?

Mud isn't much of a problem, fork seals are all free of mud/dirt.
Click to expand...
Ango beat me to it...^^^

Wipe it down with an old rag or similar then lube. Make sure its dry first or the lube can trap water IN not OUT.

Same with degreasing, if you leave some on, the lube wont stick.

You dont need to be anal with it (although i know how i get with new bikes/new parts) but just keep it reasonable, maybe every couple of rides...
 
bipyjamas

bipyjamas

Likes Dirt
Only 4 things I do for my hardtail. This is a process a result of my concern for the bike, but also a product of my laziness. I ride several times a week though so water wear and tear isn't that much of an issue compared to say stashing your bike in your shed for 4 weeks at a time.

  1. Wipe bike down as dry as possible concentrating on parts that may rust.
  2. Freewheel the chain through a rag. Lube the chain and wipe off excess. I do lube even when its still wet and sometimes get rust spots on the rollers the next day but a quick ride sees them gone, plus chain gets replaced pretty often anyways so I don't really care. Much rather get my arse in the shower and food into my stomach then come back when its dry.
  3. Wipe down fork stanchions and remove gunk from seals. I lube the stanchions with multi-viscosity motor oil (works just as good) if I see grease/oil streaks on the stanchions as opposed to rings, which is more normal.
  4. Remove grit from joins and rotational surfaces like bottom brackets, seat clamp and headset. Hubs seem to be clean generally and well sealed.
 
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Dan

Dan

Likes Dirt
bipyjamas said:
Only 4 things I do for my hardtail. This is a process a result of my concern for the bike, but also a product of my laziness. I ride several times a week though so water wear and tear isn't that much of an issue compared to say stashing your bike in your shed for 4 weeks at a time.

  1. Wipe bike down as dry as possible concentrating on parts that may rust.
  2. Freewheel the chain through a rag. Lube the chain and wipe off excess. I do lube even when its still wet and sometimes get rust spots on the rollers the next day but a quick ride sees them gone, plus chain gets replaced pretty often anyways so I don't really care. Much rather get my arse in the shower and food into my stomach then come back when its dry.
  3. Wipe down fork stanchions and remove gunk from seals. I lube the stanchions with multi-viscosity motor oil (works just as good) if I see grease/oil streaks on the stanchions as opposed to rings, which is more normal.
  4. Remove grit from joins and rotational surfaces like bottom brackets, seat clamp and headset. Hubs seem to be clean generally and well sealed.
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Thats the same with me. When I was riding regularly, my chain was replaced every couple of months. This way keeping everything else on the driveline in new condition instead of wearing down due to a stretched chain.

Like people have said, just dry (and clean if there is mud involved) the chain and then throw some lube on. Clean your forks, etc. I never really dry my bike after a ride in the wet. I only concentrate on the moving parts which isnt much when you ride a hardtail.
 
AngoXC

AngoXC

Wheel size expert
Its often preferable to degrease the chain first to prevent a build up of muck on it. Sprays are quick and easy...spray it on, leave for a while, hose it off but its a good idea to cover your disc rotor on the rear, just in case rogue lube gets sprayed all over it.

For future reference, invest in some form of power link or something so you can just take the chain off with ease.

Like funkymonkey said, you can get anal, especially with new stuff so dont go too mad. Its worse with a dual suspention bike...especially one with lots of 'knoocks and crannys'...
 
M

Matt C

Likes Dirt
There is no need to take the chain off to clean it properly. Get a decent chain cleaner and use degreaser first, then run the chain through it with water. Blow the water out of the chain with a compressor if you have one at your disposal, otherwise just dry it of with a rag. Then lube the chain making sure you run through the gears, and most importantly, wipe the excess lube off. The lube only needs to be between the rollers on the chain. Any excess will attract dirt and create a nice cutting past.
After each ride, just lube the chain and then wipe the excess off after running through the gears. This will keep the crap from building up on it.
Also mate, drop some lube into the outer gear cables every now and then. This will prevent any drag and keep them from corroding aswell.
 
Fisher

Fisher

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Matt C said:
Please tell me you meant 'lube' on your chain and not grease :eek:
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Meh thinks im doing something wrong, lol. What should i be using, im not sure what it is really black glugy shite and it seems to ok...
What should i be using?
 
Viv92

Viv92

Eats Squid
TH3RM0 said:
Already taken care of :)

Is a degrease necessary after each (off-road) ride? Or is that getting 'anal' :p
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I used to do it every ride. Once every 3 is working fine for me now though. However do it after every muddy ride, and use a wet lube in mud if you can (wet lubes usually come in drip bottles and are a thick oily substance).

Take the chain off, soak it in degreaser (old milk bottles are good for this
cause you can shake them round with the chain in). Clean your cassette and chain with a toothbrush (don't need to be too careful, just get most of the muck off). Let everything dry. Add lube to the inside line of the chain (lube on the low bit of the chain, but on top of it). Cycle the gears a few times and you are set.
 
funkymonkey

funkymonkey

Likes Dirt
Fisher said:
Meh thinks im doing something wrong, lol. What should i be using, im not sure what it is really black glugy shite and it seems to ok...
What should i be using?
Click to expand...
Got Crud?

Grease will pickup all sorts of dirt, dust, etc which will effect the changing of gears.
It will also increase friction making it harder to pedal
It will also get everywhere when you da anything with it.

Buy some specific chain lube and see how much better it rides. (But please use degreaser before the lube)
 
S

-|Sean|-

Likes Dirt
Viv92 said:
Let everything dry. Add lube to the inside line of the chain (lube on the low bit of the chain, but on top of it). Cycle the gears a few times and you are set.
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So letting the cassette & chain to air dry is alright? Should I make an attempt to wipe dry initially? Do you actually remove the cassette as well? Need to learn how to do that :eek:

You mean this area of the chain?


And.....If you've cleaned/lubed your bike one weekend, then next weekend you are going to ride again - should you re-lube shortly before riding?
 
funkymonkey

funkymonkey

Likes Dirt
Thats the spot (anywhere you can would be fine)

To remove the cassette (shouldn't need to too often) you'll need a (suprisingly named) cassette removal tool - LBS will have heaps.
 
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