Bicycle Mechanics - general road bike maintenance

1) I got my first road bike a couple months ago, and I would like to do most basic maintenance on it myself. I wipe off the dirt and junk after I ride, and know I should clean and lubricate the chain regularly, but I am wondering what else I should be doing.

2) I recently picked up an old steel Peugeot with some minor surface rust for $7. I am going to clean and re-lubricate the moving parts, sand off the rust and put auto-wax over it, replace the brake cables and re-tape the bars. Is there anything else I should do to prepare this bike to be a reliable beater? I have heard about rust-proofing the inside of the tubes but I do not know how this is done.

While you're doing the brake cables, check the pads. Replace if worn, file off any debris from the pads if they're still useable. Spin the wheels and look for wobble betw. the brake pads or between the triangle arms; if you see wobble, the wheel needs truing.

Take off the wheels and spin them on their axles; make sure the bearings feel smooth. I just checked the hubs on my used-buy cannondale and realized they were shot. Re-packing and re-greasing bearings is fun.

Adjust the derailers, re-grease the cables that are exposed. Lube all moving parts with a dollop or two of oil (NOT WD-40.) When I lube the chain, I make sure to put some on the inside of the bottom part of the loop. I hate squeeky chains, been hearing them a LOT lately.

Make sure the headset doesn't squeek. If it does, you may need to re-pack and re-grease those bearings.

Check for play in the cranks: grab one and wiggle it side to side. If there's any, tighten the crank bolts up. A loose crank can get worn out almost immediately if you ride on it.

Spin the pedals, feel for smoothness in the pedal bearings.

Thanks, yeah I forgot to mention that I am getting the wheels trued at my LBS because they are both pretty wobbly, but not too severe.

1) I got my first road bike a couple months ago, and I would like to do most basic maintenance on it myself. I wipe off the dirt and junk after I ride, and know I should clean and lubricate the chain regularly, but I am wondering what else I should be doing.

Here's a pretty good (old) thread on routine commuter bike maintenance: http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/index.php/t-99814

One thing I think is extremely important is to wipe water off the chain and sprockets if they are wet. Nothing fancy, just spin the chain and wipe with a paper towel, then wipe off the sprockets. Your chain can literally rust overnight if you don't: once this happened to me and then chain was a bit "crunchy" the next morning.



2) I recently picked up an old steel Peugeot with some minor surface rust for $7. I am going to clean and re-lubricate the moving parts, sand off the rust and put auto-wax over it, replace the brake cables and re-tape the bars. Is there anything else I should do to prepare this bike to be a reliable beater? I have heard about rust-proofing the inside of the tubes but I do not know how this is done.

What peripatetic said is good advice. I can't emphasize enough the necessity to clean and repack bearings. If a bike's not been overhauled in a couple years, the bearings will be dry, and they will wear MUCH faster this way, as well as be noisy.

If the brakes aren't strong enough after adjustment: Old rubber brake pads can get very hard and lose their grip. You can file them down and maybe expose some new rubber. Or, buy a new set of Kool Stop pads. You can get a full set front and back for maybe $15 online, and they will make an amazing difference (I put them on my fixed gear beater and boy did it improve the brakes).

I suggest steel wool for rust removal!