fholt

I've had my Allez Elite ('05) for right at 2 years, total mileage is 5500. I keep up on chain maintenance and replacement, and figure that with the next one this spring, I'll swap the cassette as well for good measure. I am also on top of the wheels and tires, so that's covered.

From what I've read in this forum, it's time for me to:
* Swap the shifter cables and housings (shifting ain't crisp lately)
* Replace at least the front brake pads (I have a set) and lube the brake cables
* Inspect the frame and seatpost for any hidden damage
* Put a few drops of lube on the derailer pivot points

Here's what I don't know:
Do I need to do anything to the BB or headset? I haven't had any problems, nor have I ever done anything to them. BB is the FSA Mega-exo, and it's some kind of FSA headset as well. Is there scheduled maintenance for these?

Anything else I should consider doing?

Thanks in advance...

capwater

No problems, no worries. Check your headset for indexing, easy enough to feel. Check your BB for any wobble of grinding.

Al1943

Chain replacements should be based on wear, not mileage. Wear varies tremendously between riders and chains are not of equal quality. I use a good steel ruler to measure stretch and I use a Park chain checker to measure roller wear. I get 6000 to 7000 miles out of Dura-Ace and Record chains. My wife has never been able to wear out an Ultegra chain, she has 6000 miles on one now. But she's small, light, spins high rpm, and rarely comes off the saddle. Neither of use has ever worn out a cassette, but we switch those around and have no idea how many miles we put on one.

In addition to replacing the shift cables and cable housings you may benefit from hosing out the shifters with WD40. Some folks will say to lube the insides of the shifters after using WD40 but I've never found a need to do that.

The standard test for headset looseness is to hold the front brakes while rocking the bike fore and aft. Check for motion (play) between the fork and headset. I doubt that you will have a problem.

Al

fholt

Well, I normally would have just said "yeah yeah yeah" to that advice, but on a whim I picked up a Park chain wear measurer (whatever it's called) last night and found much to my surprise that my previous Shimano chain (hanging in the garage in case I needed a quick replacement) wasn't even worn to .75%, while the SRAM 971 chain that I've been running for less than 1000 miles is past 1%.

I don't know if it's the SRAM, or that I switched to triflow (used Rock n Roll Gold on the Shimanos) or that I have been taking the chain off and soaking it down in triflow in a little pan (which may not get all the grit out - actually it may move some of it in) since the SRAM has the quicklink. I'll probably relclean and lube the shimano chain and keep it sealed up as a "good spare" and mount the new one with a powerlink. Guess I need to decide on what maintenance method will work best on this one, thinking about just triflowing and wiping it, except when it gets really nasty.

I'm going to try Sheldon's advice on this one, and leave the factory lube on it and see how far it goes on just that alone....

Big_knob

Al1943 is right on. I also use a ruler & never get more than 900 miles out of a chain. I use both Shimano & the 971's sometimes the 951's. Yes,i clean & lube frequently.

I_bRAD

Unless you're keen on throwing your money around, replace these when they're worn out... not "just 'cause."

supcom

Shifter cables and housings should be replaced and will almost certainly improve your shifting. You should have your headset and wheel bearings repacked if they are traditional cup and cone type.

jbrians

I'm surprised at the lack of life you get frrom a chain.
I ride in some of the worst (it seems) weather in Ontario...rain, sand, etc.... and get years of use out of a chain before I need to replace it (based on measurement). I'm talking quite often more than 6-8000 thousand km's. I figure oil is cheap so I use it a lot.