Hey congrats on the purchace...... i know what its like, you have a flash new bike & want it to stay that way.
Its prob. best to give you bike a wash once a week (especially if you are doing that amount of milage) I use a fairly sudsy car wash mix & give the bike a good (wheels off) wash.
yeah your right, its dishwashing liquid that often contains sodium - stay away from the stuff!!
as far as the chain goes, i am quite fortunate that i have access at work to industrial degreasing & ultrasonic cleaning equipment, so thats what i use every 1000k's. But you can get handy little attachments that you run your chain through that apparantly work fairly well - a good LBS should sort you out.
I use/used finish line dry lube and it's alright at best. I thought it wore off quickly and didn't keep me running well. I now started using white lightning. I think it's a wonderful product and highly recommend it. It ran very smooth and was nice. It supposedly "sheds" dirt, but my first couple rides were in rain so I cannot comment on that.
just got a new bike and was curious as to weekly servicing? I know I should keep it clean etc weekly, but to what level?
Should I clean the chain (degrease) and lube it weekly?
Also, what is the best was of cleaning / lubing the chain, cassette and chain rings?
Also, for general cleaning, is it best to use soap or dishwashing liquid? (I heard once that one of them conatined a bit of salt, but cant remember!)
I ride in Brisbane, about 200 - 250km a week.
Thanks
Nick
A lot depends on your mileage and the weather you commute in.
Check tyres one a week Oil chain once a week or more in Winter every 2 weeks or more Summer Check brake block wear once every 2 weeks Chain once a month for wear Oil derailleur hinges once a month or more Change cables once a year, if you want less, then only rear gear cable Change bottom bracket once a year,longer if you want Grease hub bearings once/twice a year Grease headset once a year Grease stem/seat post once a year Grease Jockey wheels twice a year Overhaul pedals once a year Check wheels every month for lateral and radial adjustment.