Bicycle Mechanics - Regular Bike Maintenance

Hi everyone, just got into road cycling about three weeks ago. Got a Specialized Allez Triple, and I love it. Just wondering what type of maintenance should be performed on a weekly, or an "every-ride," basis. Thanks!

Unfortunately, your enthusiasm for cleaning your bike will most likely wane; mine has, although it's occasionally rekindled when I buy a new chain or some other new bit. :)

I had an old 1999 Specialized Allez Comp that I absolutely loved, but I
busted it. :( I couldn't believe that such a cheap frame (i bought it 'frame only' for $70)
could ride so perfectly -- and it had an alu fork!!

Every ride, I check that my brakes won't rub, due to slight misalignment
(my old Campagnolo brakes move for some reason) or a wheel being slightly
off. I also check my tires for embeded glass that might work it's way through
during the ride, and for side-wall nicks that could cause the tire to blow.

I try to clean my bikes at least once a week, especially my steel ones (because they rust),
otherwise, the gunk really builds up, particularly around the brakes and bottom bracket.

Every couple of weeks (or more :) ) I clean my chain, cogs, chainrings, and
derailleurs.

Every 'several' weeks (ok, much longer) I service my hubs (unsealed bearings),
which involves cleaning, checking for wear, changing the balls, regreasing,
and replacing cones or the barrel, if necessary.

After a few thousand miles, especially if you have an aluminum bike, when you clean
it, it's wise to check for stress fractures -- that's how I spotted the crack in my
Specialized. I noticed some suspicious paint movement under the bottom bracket
that looked like a miniature fault line, rather than a scratch.

Common stress areas are around the bottom bracket, the lower half of the down tube,
and the rear drop-outs.

I don't mean to scare you; your bike might last forever -- it's just routine.

If you find my suggestions useless, there's plenty of advice on the web :)

No no, much appreciated. =)

What maintenance should you do, or do you want to do?

You don't really need to do that much. If you park outside, check quick releases to make sure no one played a trick onto you, and depress the tires to see they aren't flat.

Apart from that, I would suggest you re-lube your chain every 2-4 weeks depending on rain, snow, fenders, where you ride... and that you clean the chain thoroughly every 2-3 months. Overhauling hubs and bottom bracket might be needed yearly, depending on mileage.

The rest is more about cosmetics.

It amazes me how much other bikers can spend on their tw0-wheelers...I bought my Roadmaster ready-to-roll for sixty bucks.

Blah! Mantinence.

Test your brake cables and tire pressure before every ride.

I check the brake wear, cables, see if the brake arms need lubrication, go over the frame for rust, check the chain for lubrication, spin the axle bearings, examine the forks and crank arms for stress and lubrication, all basic commonsense stuff about once a month on all my bikes. Whenever the rear wheel and brake pads start getting worn out loking, I switch them for the unworn front wheel and brake pads, and wear them down more or less evenly.

I usually pull of sliding stops, so my brake pads dont' wear much but my tires have constant bald spots... *shrug* ...the fun's worth it.

Do you clean the chain before re-lubing it? If so what do you clean it with?

I do not clean my chain, every week I lube it with Pro Link aand wipe it off with a rag. so far this seems to be working better than when I removed the chain and cleaned it in Kerosene, lubed it with motor oil.