Bicycle Mechanics - My Local Bike Shop Guy Sez . . .

I took my bike to my LBS yesterday, and asked him how often one has to perform a major tear-down maintenance overhaul on a road bike. He said that one should do this every 1,500 miles, if you're a meticulous nit-picky purist. This seems a little too frequent to me. You?

I get told every 3,000km or so on my MTB, so I suppose it's nothing unusual. To be honest I think it's really a question of performance and what you want out of the bike. I know that to get the maximum performance out of one of my chains, for example, they probably should be replaced every 3,000km. However, when I was an impoverished university student not so long ago, I managed to drag over 18,000km out of one particular chain through necessity.

Edit: I'm getting extremely sick of making spelling/typing mistakes and frequently having to come back and edit them. If I kick something very hard tonight, I can't be held accountable for my actions!

general overhaul, I do that every season ends, but as for cleaning my bike, I clean my bike after every ride.

I do not worry about over hauling any thing on my bike. I brake and replace most of the parts before they will need it.

Slainte
:beer:

Originally posted by trmcgeehan
I took my bike to my LBS yesterday, and asked him how often one has to perform a major tear-down maintenance overhaul on a road bike. He said that one should do this every 1,500 miles, if you're a meticulous nit-picky purist. This seems a little too frequent to me. You? It depends on conditions and any maintenancde you do yourself.If you have cartridge bearings in hubs and headset,they only need attention when they go bad,otherwise as needed.Cartridge BB when it goes bad,ball and cone type as needed.Cables and casing when shifting goes in the toilet.Many do a yearly overhaul.Ido things as needed.

There is no specific amount of kilometrage (or mileage) that applies to all bicycles insofar as maintenance is concerned. I have over ten thousand "kliks" on my bike and so far I have only had to tighten the gear cables a bit. I usually inspect everything at the end of the cycling season and lube and oil all the parts that need it, but that is about it. My bike is ready now but with all the snow and ice out there, I will not be riding it for a few more months...ackkkkk....

Originally posted by Machiavelo
There is no specific amount of kilometrage (or mileage) that applies to all bicycles insofar as maintenance is concerned. I have over ten thousand "kliks" on my bike and so far I have only had to tighten the gear cables a bit. I usually inspect everything at the end of the cycling season and lube and oil all the parts that need it, but that is about it. My bike is ready now but with all the snow and ice out there, I will not be riding it for a few more months...ackkkkk....

I hope you haven't been using the same cables for over ten thousand "klks".

Originally posted by WorldIRC


I hope you haven't been using the same cables for over ten thousand "klks". If it shifts OK,why screw with it? Consider how long cables on a friction setup could last.

Originally posted by dirtbikedude
I do not worry about over hauling any thing on my bike. I brake and replace most of the parts before they will need it.

Slainte
:beer:

I take my bikes apart all the freakin time!!! J/k

I try to do an overhaul twice a year, just making sure everything works and is safe, but do thorough maintenance( grease, new chain, cables, tighten everything) much more frequently. It is my opinion that how frequently you overhual depends on how hard you are on parts.

Last year it sounded like my trusty mechanic inferred, new sealed bearings, etc. in new construction of better quality bikes; requires less maintenance..? If it is riding well, let it alone.? Maybe my interpretation? Probably my top end road bike now has about 7,000-8,000 miles on it.. Never been overahuled..Just yearly truing..
Well, anyway most years I have my older bikes put through a 'truing' at my LBS... I am getting ready for a 100 mile ride and will have my Klein checked out this year.. Since I ride about 3 bikes equally that means about 3,000 miles a year, apiece on average.
I change the chain at 3,000 miles no matter what.. Example- let my chain go on my least valued bike the hybrid. Well, as a result, I recently had to change out the rear cluster.. That will teach me..
As to degree of maintenance.. Friends I ride with do their own maintenance, so they say.. Don't think they change their chains at 3000 miles by looks of it. And drive train looks pretty used. In spite of that fact, they take in on 1,000 mile rides down Baja Calfornia, Mexico without seemingly too much difficulty.
My oldest road bike has to have at least 40.000 miles on it.. Never been completely overhauled. Yet, its drive train is all new except for the bottom bracket. Rides pretty well. My trusted mechanic address' problems as the arise. Hope I am doing all I need to keep my bikes in tip top shape..

Originally posted by Chris L
Edit: I'm getting extremely sick of making spelling/typing mistakes and frequently having to come back and edit them. If I kick something very hard tonight, I can't be held accountable for my actions!

Then he wonders why he was nominated for the crankiest member award. :)

More often than not, I respond to threads very impulsively.. I know, your correspondence should always be scrutinized, but certain functions/emotions are completed without being thorough.. Hopefully, most of our entries are capable of being understood.. I know I need edit mine more frequently.. You write to your closest friends you can use a little looser form..
I hope many of us will understand that concept? As an example- does not the thread "Excited Feeling," elicit a quick response? Thanks for our patience..

If you ride in the rain a lot, he may be right, maybe overhaul even more often. If you don't ride in the rain, you could go 2, 3 or 4 times as long.
Ride Far
Pat