Hi

Bought this bike a month ago https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycli...l#post17806606.

What I want is a big list of all the parts on the bike and what maintenance I need to do and when.

For example, when do I degrease the chain, lubing hubs, FD/RD maintenance, brakes, bottom bracket, stem etc.

Can anyone send me pointer to such a list? Thanks!

The list:
Pretty much everything: on condition or as needed.

Most bikes don't have odometers or hour meters as standard equipment so it's difficult to construct a schedule.

Another thing that makes a schedule difficult is that riding conditions affect the need for maintenance A LOT. Someone who rides on the road in fair weather will seldom need to perform maintenance compared with someone who rides in the rain or in dusty locales. Or worse yet, on salted winter roads.

If you've got traditional-style cup and cone loose ball bearings, I'd open 'em up to clean and degrease at least every few years, even if they seem to be spinning fine. For cartridge bearings or pretty much anything else, it's like AnkleWork said: if it seems like it needs work, then work on it.

Okie dokie then what are the list of things and how do I know if they need work?

I'm a newbie rider so for all I know my bike as shipped to me was crap ... (though it rids well according to my limited info)

Lube your chain regularly. Everything else is on the scale of every 3-4000 miles.

1. Check your tires and brakes every day before riding.
2. Lube your chain weekly or every 100 miles - use a good lubricant, not WD40. Also make sure your handlebars and pedals are turning freely.
3. Wash your bike once a month (more often if you ride in mud, etc.). Clean the chain and relube. Check to make bolts, etc. are still tight. Lube all moving parts - brake pivot points, derailleurs, etc. Lube the cables.

My timeline is probably overkill, but I tend to forget and only get number 2 done 2 or 3 times a month, number 3 every couple of months.

I'm new to bike maintenance too, but I found this link: A Simple Bike Maintenance Chart - bicycle habitat. What do you guys think?

Every 100 miles for a chain lube is overkill for sure. It will need lube but not that often. When mine gets dirty I'll clean it and lube, and every now and then I go around and just lube. Since I ride 3 bikes (commuter mtb, Carbon roadie, steel roadie) none of them get all that dirty anyway. Just be sure to lube the chain after you get caught in the rain.

Everything else I just do on an as-needed basis. I'm pretty attuned to what may need attention as I'm riding. Once a year I'll have a bike clean/repair day and check everything on my bikes, and the family bikes too, and just make sure everything is up to snuff. I'm due for one soon, so maybe the next rainy day.

Actually, that one looks pretty good. I tend to be picky about brake and shift operation so I put a bit more time more frequently into that. Also, we have a lot of sand here in Florida, so I clean and lube my chain fairly frequently as well to prevent grit and gunk buildup. Take time to lube the chain correctly rather than just spinning it and spraying lube over it as the excess lube only attracts and holds dirt which just causes extra abrasion and wear. I also give the bike a quick wipe down after every ride to remove any surface dirt/grit, particularly on the forks and lower parts of the frame.

Since we're in a sandy area, this simple post-ride cleaning goes a long way as preventative maintenance.

I'll leave more experienced people to comment on its appropriateness. But I have question on lubing. The article says to lube lots of different parts (brake pivots, brake cables, FD, RD, Cog, Crank etc.). Do you use the same lubricant? If so what general purpose lubricant should we use?

That's bad advice. A good lube lasts hundreds of miles, and you shouldn't lube a dirty chain.

Sloppy writing on my part - I wipe the chain down to remove any surface dirt before lubing.
And point 3 should be "degrease the chain and relube."

I will freely admit that I'm not an expert and just following the advice of my LBS. However, no one else was answering the OP with anything helpful.

Careful with that question as it generally leads into an argument of a religious nature....

Most folks have personal favorites, however, there are several that come up more often than others, Boeshield T-9 and Tri-Flow for example. I personally use these two, and ProGold ProLink chain lube as I've had good results, but there are many others that will work as well.

Stay away from WD-40 as it works more as a solvent than a lubricant. It's great for cleaning, breaking free stuck parts, etc., but should not be used for lubrication purposes.

Thanks. But the core of my question is: is it one lubricant (i.e. ProGold) for all those parts (brake cables, brake pivots, cogs, Crank, RD, FD etc)?

Listen to your bike. Every time that I ride I make a mental list of any maintenance or changes that I want to make before I ride that bike again. That's pretty much all that I do.

A chain, for example, may need to be cleaned and re-lubed after only a 20 or 30 mile rain ride or not require any attention for several hundred miles. When it starts making noise, it's telling me it needs a little attention. Commuters in the Seattle area may find it necessary to replace their rims every year while people like me may never experience significant rim wear. Tires have a way of telling me when it's time for replacement - they get frequent punctures.

IMHO, if you don't know what the part is you probably shouldn't work on it. Have it looked over yearly by your shop and lube your chain regularly, leave the heavy lifting to someone who's qualified. If you want to learn, buy a repair manual and read it, all you need is in there.

Actually there are youtube how-to videos for everything. No need to buy anything or even leave your computer.

Chain lube is typically different than what you'd want for cables and pivot points. For example, ProGold works well as chain lube, since it does a great job cleaning, but dries quickly making it ill-suited for pivot points. Boeshield and TriFlow should work well for either application.

For pivot points, typically you'd want a wax/Teflon type lubricant to provide a long lasting protective film. Chain lube is a bit more religious and you'll get recommendations such as wax, motor oil blends, and any of the numerous commercial products. Chain protection depends on your riding conditions and style. For example, and lube may work phenomenally well on a road bike, and terrible with dust from a mountain bike.

Generally I like the chart, but there are some things it says to check far too infrequently for my taste. For example, I check tire wear, and brake wear at least once a week, since it only takes a second, and is almost automatic when I top off tire pressure. I check the tires when I check pressure (every couple of rides). I check my brake pads and cables every ride (as I am doing a quick lever squeeze to make sure everything is working alright), I have caught a disconnected v-brake at least once by squeezing the brake levers before riding.

Yeah, I suppose it varies based on used, and its hard to get a chart that is good for everybody. Its good to know its a pretty good guide though!