exhorserider

I am relatively new to road cycling and was wondering in general how many miles you put on your bike before parts tend to wear/need to be replaced and what to watch out for. Obviously, once certain components stop functioning they need to be either adjusted or replaced but in particular (and please add to the list)

-tires
-break pads
-wheels
-chain
-components (they probably vary by component- which are the first to watch out for)

thanks, just want to be a responsible bike owner!

Psimet2001 

Try here for some stuff that I have assembled in one place.

Another online resources that is great is Sheldon Brown's site

In general don't use mileage to judge wear. Actually measure or objectively gauge wear in the components.

All of the wear is dependent upon your weight, riding style, terrain covered, maintenance habits, etc.

Some of them I can throw in here....tires - check Sheldon's site, but in general you need to replace them if you seem to be getting a lot of flats. I replace when I get a pretty heavy flat spot across the tread and/or the tread starts to get pretty thin. I use Michelin Prorace2 tires and I seem to be able to get about 2,000 miles out of them before they get to the point where I like to replace them

Break pads - replace when you are no longer able to dress them appropriately (remove glazing and embedded objects) and/or there is little to no clearance left in the channels in the pad designed to push water and debris away from the rim.

Wheels.....you'll have to learn. Keep an eye on the bearings, cassette, rim (cracking around the spoke holes), spokes popping or pinging, etc.

Chain. Measure it. Replace when too long.

Components. When they wear out, quit functioning, or cease to operate as you prefer them to operate.

Learn to wrench your rig. Check out park tools website for how-to's. Tear your bike down completely so that you learn. That process in itself will begin to teach you what to look for.