Does anyone have any good tips to keeping your bike clean and in good shape?
How about disc brakes, is it really that essential to keep your finger prints off of them?
How about forks and shocks; any tips for getting that fine grime out from around the seals?
What is your favorite Chain lube?
I use Teflon dry lube, and it works well, but wears off quickly, and is quite thin. I'm going to switch to something thicker this year that's smoother, as I clean my bike after every ride anyways. I use a biodegradable engine degreaser that cleans the chain and gears with no problems at all.
I use Finish Line Dry for lube. I actually just applied today but haven't ridden it yet. I also bought some White Lightning lube today. Anyone use it? Supposedly it's supposed to keep dirt away. Not sure how that works but anyway. I use this degreaser that's made of like orange particles or something. I actually haven't used that yet but the LBS says it's a good product. Do you guys degrease chain and everything after every ride? I've never really used a degreaser because I've never owned a real nice ride.
I use Finish Line Dry for lube. I actually just applied today but haven't ridden it yet. I also bought some White Lightning lube today. Anyone use it? Supposedly it's supposed to keep dirt away. Not sure how that works but anyway. I use this degreaser that's made of like orange particles or something. I actually haven't used that yet but the LBS says it's a good product. Do you guys degrease chain and everything after every ride? I've never really used a degreaser because I've never owned a real nice ride.
Yeah Finish Line, that's what I use...it's good but too thin, not buttery smooth like I want it to be..Maybe I don't use enough though.
Yeah I degrease the chain after every ride with Simple Green engine degreaser or MEC bike cleaner. I also use a Park Tools chain cleaner from time to time. It works great, it's definitely worth the money!
I use Finish Line Dry for lube. I actually just applied today but haven't ridden it yet. I also bought some White Lightning lube today. Anyone use it? Supposedly it's supposed to keep dirt away. Not sure how that works but anyway. I use this degreaser that's made of like orange particles or something. I actually haven't used that yet but the LBS says it's a good product. Do you guys degrease chain and everything after every ride? I've never really used a degreaser because I've never owned a real nice ride.
Well, there is a lot that has been written on this subject. One article that I found interesting was on the Discovery Channel's website under the Tech. section. The head mechanic discusses bike cleaning and how he does it. You might want to check it out, it is under the Paceline section. Also, something else I was told recently is that when you lube the chain you should do each side of the chain. By that I mean lube should be applied two on each link - the left and the right sides. A Park Tool mechanic recommended that. I was only putting one drop here link before. Two drops seems like a lot, but I'll try it. The type of lube - from everything I read - depends on where you live and the conditions you ride in. Good luck.
[font='Times New Roman'][font=Comic Sans MS]I use a garden pump up pressure sprayer to rinse of my bike after each ride, the terrain i ride varies from mud, soft sand and gravel. I add a cap of motorcar cleaner/wax in the mix this protects the frame and the dirt seems to work off easier. I run my chain as dry as possible, my test being if i can spin my chain in reverse its cool to go. The car wax, it might be my imagination, but it seems to benefit the chain action, I use a dry cross country lube, every second ride and i manage about 3500 ks on a chain, well before it starts to kill the chainrings and cluster.[/font][/font]
[font=Times New Roman][font=Comic Sans MS]I use a garden pump up pressure sprayer to rinse of my bike after each ride, the terrain i ride varies from mud, soft sand and gravel. I add a cap of motorcar cleaner/wax in the mix this protects the frame and the dirt seems to work off easier. I run my chain as dry as possible, my test being if i can spin my chain in reverse its cool to go. The car wax, it might be my imagination, but it seems to benefit the chain action, I use a dry cross country lube, every second ride and i manage about 3500 ks on a chain, well before it starts to kill the chainrings and cluster.[/font][/font]
Wow that's cool! I typically change my cogs at 2500km and chains at 1200-1300km. I think I might not be using enough lube. I used to use basic chain oil, the el cheapo stuff back in the day, and that didn't need a lot, but that teflon stuff needs a lot more applied to the chain to keep it lubed I guess
Aren't there any bike mechanics on this site?? Man, maybe I should just shell out the money and take a maintenance course... It would be nice to get some tips though instead of running to the shop everytime my bike doesn't run properly...
I ride a road bike about 600 miles a month in the warmer weather. I only use a degreaser once a month and I use Rock N Roll lubrication every 300 miles. I wipe the chain after every ride. I detail clean the bike when I do the degrease, but wipe the bike down about once a week. I change the chain three times a year, after the winter, which here means about April 1st, and then half way through summer. I also check the chain regularily for wear with a Park tool. I find this pattern to keep the bike looking nice and operates without a lot of expense and time.
That's all good, now how about rear derailleur adjustment? Is there a fast way to do it without unattaching the cable?
There is an adjustment barrel where the cable attaches to the rear detailer. Just twist that to make the minor adjustments. Usually the adjustment is to turn it out as the cable gets streched over time. Of course, large adjustments of the cable attachment will need to be done at home or the shop.
