Bicycle Mechanics - Tune up?

I have a custom BMX bike i built from scratch about 4 years ago. Never lubricated anything except the chain, and I was wondering if I should take out the berrings and grease them individually? The bike has slowed down alot and the wheels stop spinning very fast. The crank (3 piece) is very stiff. I have tried greasing the bike where the berrings are but it still dosent work. Should I take the berrings out and grease the hub and the berrings and take the crank off and grease all of that? My friend recently had the same problem and he did it and his bike is in a good condition. Would any of yall do this? Thanks

The dirt :rolleyes: If no 'grindy' noise, dismantle- re-grease.
I'm currently running a 14 year old bb, not used. It's fine, grease just needs replacing.
But in dismantle, you can inspect bearings, look for silver in the lube.
Try to fix first,....and lube breaks down\ gets adulterated with dirt/ friction= resistance.

Also wheels are not bb's, but the same maintainace is done.

Meah.

>jef.

I have a custom BMX bike i built from scratch about 4 years ago. Never lubricated anything except the chain, and I was wondering if I should take out the berrings and grease them individually? The bike has slowed down alot and the wheels stop spinning very fast. The crank (3 piece) is very stiff. I have tried greasing the bike where the berrings are but it still dosent work. Should I take the berrings out and grease the hub and the berrings and take the crank off and grease all of that? My friend recently had the same problem and he did it and his bike is in a good condition. Would any of yall do this? Thanks

At a minimum, you need to repack your hub bearings and headset bearings. If your BB is not a sealed unit, you need to repack it as well. If not, then it may need replaced.

When you repack your bearings, be sure to check the cones for pitting. If they are worn, they should be replaced. Probably should replace the balls as well (they're cheap) since you have not maintained them.

One of the only things I havent got was "repacking" or "packing" berrings. What is this?

Repacking a bearing is where you disassemble the bearing, clean all the old grease and dirt off of the cups, cones, and balls, and reassemble with new grease.

www.park.com, www.sheldonbrown.com, or any of a number of bike repair books available at your local bookstore or public library should explain the process, including the critical step of adjusting the play when you reassemble the bearings.

If you are uncomfortable with doing this work, then you would be best served by taking the bike to your local bike shop and having them do the work for you.