Mountain Biking - newbie with Trek 820

Hi, this is my first post on these forums. I'll start right off by saying I'm about as casual of a bicyclist as they come. I can fill the tires with air, ride the thing, and that's all about I know so far (let's change that!)

I've got a Trek 820 18" from 2001. I'm looking to get a little more into biking, going to the local park trails and such so I need to learn up on maintenance and other details.

For one thing, I wanted to try removing the wheels to see how easy it was to transport the bike in my car. After messing with the front wheel I ended up with this issue:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=225468&highlight=Trek+820
Haven't even tried the rear wheel. Not sure what will happen to the gears on there if I do.

I don't believe that the chain or gears have ever received a drop of oil. I'm not sure if there's good or bad brand names, or if any old lubricant works for this - recommendations?

I've been reading here and people seem to upgrade these bikes a lot with better doodads and accessories. All I was originally thinking was to get one of them water bottle holders (where can I get one of those...), but now I'm wondering if I should worry about better brake pads or anything else.

Is there anything else I should concern myself with in the maintenance and use of this bike? I'll admit I've used it so little that except for a bit of dirt it looks brand new.

Any tips or help are greatly appreciated, seeing as no matter what I'll be learning something :thumb:

Take the bike to the local bike shop and have it tuned up. That will fix most of your issues and get you on the road, you can also get a water bottle and cage from them .

After you do that pick up http://www.parktool.com/products/detail.asp?cat=19&item=BBB%2D2 or http://www.amazon.com/Zinn-Art-Mountain-Bike-Maintenance/dp/193138259X and study up on how to do the light stuff your self.

Your local bike shop or many online retailers carry a big selection of lubes for cahin ,forks and so on.

Good luck and enjoy your trek 820 , its a fine beginers bike .

Check this out:

YouTube - How to Remove a Bicycle Wheel


I like Finishline "red" chain lube for dry rides and TriFlow for wet ones.


Bottle cages can be purchased from your local bike shop.

If your brakes stop you...and you visibly have plenty of pad...leave 'em alone.



Other than that...just enjoy the ride.

Thanks for the responses!

I stopped by a local shop, we chatted, they checked out my bike, in the end they basically said it's in good shape and I just need to regularly lubricate to keep it in good condition. It took them like 5 seconds to align my front wheel so the brake pads didn't rub - guess that's just experience and skill.

They also recommended and applied Frontline Red, so I got a bottle to keep for myself.

One thing I forgot to bring up at the shop though - I've noticed that while my front and rear brakes both work and stop the wheels, the front ones occasionally make noise (like squeaking) when rubbing against the rims before the complete stop. I think that's just the rims being dirty. Sound about right?

Also check out bicycletutor.com, i've learned a lot from that site

Thanks for the responses!

I stopped by a local shop, we chatted, they checked out my bike, in the end they basically said it's in good shape and I just need to regularly lubricate to keep it in good condition. It took them like 5 seconds to align my front wheel so the brake pads didn't rub - guess that's just experience and skill.

They also recommended and applied Frontline Red, so I got a bottle to keep for myself.

One thing I forgot to bring up at the shop though - I've noticed that while my front and rear brakes both work and stop the wheels, the front ones occasionally make noise (like squeaking) when rubbing against the rims before the complete stop. I think that's just the rims being dirty. Sound about right?

The pads could be old, they could have been dirty or wet. The rim may have had oil or some other residue on em or just dirt.