[danimal]

how much work/what do you typically need to replace after a season of cross racing?

i ask because today i took the cross rig into the bike shop and i needed a new BB, new brake pads, my rear hub was loose, and figured while i was hemorraghing money at the shop i may as well get new cables and housings.

is this pretty standard for yearly maintenance?

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[danimal]

oh yeah....and i needed a new chain

[DevLaVaca]

Cross racing is incredibly hard on the bike; however, except for the BB, all of those are regular maintenance items (especially the chain). I am surprised that you've managed to go through an entire set of brake pads in a year, though...

[danimal]

the brake pads were due to never having dialed them in properly and massive toe-in to lessen fork shudder with my old aluminum fork

[i_r_beej]

your regular maintenance will vary depending on the weather/course conditions.

Here in the Portland, OR area, the cross season tends to wet and muddy. Some courses have thick, clay-laden mud that must be washed off or it hardens and can foul cassettes, cables, brakes, etc. Other courses have gritty, sandy slop that wears brake pads down significantly.

After every race, my bike got a plain-water rinse (NEVER use high pressure water!) and scrubbing with a brush 'til it was clean. Air from a compressor blew the water out of the chain and it was re-lubed.

Then into the stand to dry until the next race. If the weather was wet, i removed the screw holding the cable guide on the bottom bracket shell. EVERY TIME a stream of water poured out of my bottom bracket shell. This last bit is key to prolonging the life of the bottom bracket itself. (And your frame, if it's steel.)

My hubs got an overhaul once during the season-- water had gotten into the front hub. The grease in the rear was actually okay, but it got repacked anyway.

Realistically-- you only need to replace what is obviously worn. I'm not a pro so I PAY for all my own stuff. That means that i don't go replacing cables and pads, etc. all willy nilly.

If your BB was all tight and gritty... then it needed replacing. Brake pads badly worn? Replace them. Brake and shift cables looking okay? Housing not kinked? Then keep 'em.

You LBS might have just gotten a little crazy with all the replacements.

[danimal]

You LBS might have just gotten a little crazy with all the replacements.


^you're probably right...although i did a pretty sad job of keeping my rig clean this last year. and since i was swapping parts to a new bike i got nickel and dimed on a couple things like cable guides and stuff, but they did reuse what cables they could/cut down longer cables for use on shorter stuff.

i r beej: i installed some kook stop pads; for the first time i feel like my cross bike has actual braking power!

[comradehoser]

I wish I had some kook stop pads...