Regular Maintenence?
 

My LBS charges $50-$100 per maintence checkup.

I was wondering if it was possible to do it myself? What exactly is involved?

A friend of mine says he gets his bike tuned up every 2 weeks. Is this just tightening the bolts, making sure the tires are true, or is there something more?

I'd like to avoid the high fees if I can.

An assessment is a good place to start, and then you can pick which tasks you want to delegate to the LBS, and which ones you want to do yourself. Here's the check-in routine I developed for my co-workers to follow; although it's not geared towards beginners, it should give you an idea what-all you might be looking for. The forum is butchering the bullet indentations, I'll see if it can be fixed without taking an hour...

• Frame & fork inspected for damage at likely areas
• Bearings
  • Headset
  • Bottom bracket
  • Front hub
  • Rear hub
• Rear wheel inspected
• Front wheel inspected
• Tires inflated & inspected
• Front brake pads inspected
• Rear brake pads inspected
• Cable-operated brakes:
  • Cables & housings inspected
  • Brake systems assessed as a whole for needed adjustments (lever play, centering, pad alignment)
• Disc brake systems:
  • rotors checked for damage (surface damage, wobble)
  • rotors checked for obvious oil/grease contamination
  • hydraulic systems checked for abnormal operation that would require bleeding
• Front shifter functionality check
• Rear shifter functionality check
• Shift cables & housings inspected
• Derailleurs:
  • Front derailleur inspected
  • Rear derailleur inspected
• Chainrings and crank:
  • Inspect chainrings for excessive wear, bent rings
  • Inspect cranks for signs of damaged tapers/splines
• Chain & cassette inspected (twists & stiff links in chain, bent cogs & missing teeth)
• Get customer's input/hot-button issues
• Wear-&-tear items: handlebar tape or grips, seats, bent-up bottle cages, etc.

Yes. I am not a mechanic but enjoy wrenching on my cars and bikes by myself.


It is quite easy and can be accomplished all by yourself in about an hour or less depending on your skill level and the extent to which disassemble, check and clean/adjust the bike.

You will have to invest in a set of tools so that will cost you some up front but will save you down the road. You can learn how to do all of this via reading the how tos on the Park Tools website or via checking out all kinds of DIYs on youtube etc...

For my own bikes I try to follow this schedule:

Monthly:

1) clean rims, frame and bar tape
2) remove chain (use Sram powerlink so very easy to do) and clean by soaking/shaking in degreaser in a 20oz Gatorade plastic bottle. Wipe, relube and reinstall
3) clean cassette with stiff handbrush to remove all grease/dirt buildup

Annually:

1) all the above plus..
2) remove, clean and regrease headset bearings
3) remove, clean and regrease bottom bracket bearings
4) remove and install new bar tape
5) undo FD and RD shifter cables, remove, clean and reinstall/adjust based on a new install
6) pull wheelhub bearings, clean and regrease and check preload
7) reinstall and torque everything to spec via torque wrench
8) go on test ride to give the bike a shakedown before any long ride away from the toolbox takes place

Hope this helps

G

Buy more tools with the money saved not hiring your neighbors.

Every two weeks? I'm guessing either that means he's swinging by the LBS to have them oil the chain and considers that a "tune-up", or he has way more money than sense. No bike of any decent quality should need a tune-up every two weeks.

Cost of a basic tool set $50-100. A truing stand $50-100s. A good mech book $30-50 (or free on the interweb). Extraneous wrenching supplies $10-40. Not really hard to learn if you are careful and at least a bit mechanically inclined. The value of that knowledge/ability when either a shop is unavailable or your repair task is super pricey is ultimately invaluable. Well worth the expense and learning time not to mention the ultimate savings in labor hours and the satisfaction of doing it yourself.

While there are a lot of good and caring shop mechanics out there no one will give you bike the same kind of loving attention as you will.

goingmissing, A good manual for the beginner is Bicycling Magazine's Basic Maintenance and Repair as it's an easy read. Purchase it and become familiar with your bicycle's working parts and you'll likely discover something that you can correct right away.

Brad

I just did a quick search on Amazon and Bicycling's repair/maintenance book listed above by Brad is going for $13 new or used. Armed with that book, some YouTube videos, advice from wiser folk here and some very basic tools (screwdrivers, basic allen wrench set, pliers) you can do most of the stuff that the "Tune Up" at the LBS is going to include. Adjusting brakes/derailleurs, cleaning and lubing the chain/cogs/rings--these are very simple to learn and do yourself.
When you come across something that seems a little out of your league, take it to the pros but ask if you can watch. I just did this with a rear hub that I thought might need to be replaced. I knew that was out of my range but the mechanic was happy to show me what he was doing. First order of business, check to see if the cone nut was too tight. Yep--hub is fine, I know how to adjust the cone and didn't cost me squat. Plus, when it comes time to clean/repack the bearings, I think I can take that on myself.
Start out slow now and you learn a little bit as you go along. Don't be afraid of it. It's just a bike--there is NO self-destruct button anywhere on it.

+1. Did he mention whether the LBS is changing the spark plugs and changing the air in the tires every two weeks??? :D

+1. I perform maintenance at pretty rare intervals and I ride quite a lot. I'm actually really lazy with chain maintenance, and basically don't do any unless I hear noise (dry chain noise -- typical stuff). Yeah, I've read a million articles on it (and most other topics) but I don't care to put in the effort to lubricate often, and it's a dirty job anyway.

If you learn to do your own work it's very satisfying, and I used to know absolutely nothing. Once your brakes and derailleurs (if you have one) are set up, they're good to go for quite a long time before you have to replace cables or pads, etc.

I am a reasonBLE wrench and I never take the chain off to clean it. I wipe mineral spirits on it to get it clean and a tooth brush maybe about every 600 miles. I don't ride in the rain or mud so I clean the bike rarely maybe 3 times year and use a brush spin it over the cassette and chain. I take the wheels off to clean the bike and get at all the frame. Then I lube the chain and wipe it dry and I am good to go. I sometimes put the wheel in my truing stand if I take it off to clean the bike but rarely needs any real truing. Same goes when I put new tires on the bike I will do a clean and check. I normally get over 3500 miles on a chain with no problem and no real streatch. I get 2500 to 3500 miles on tires but I don't wait till they are dead. I like to ride down hills fast and tires are cheap compared to problems. For 25-40$ I can have a new tire and no need waiting till they are wore to the threads. I ride about 3000-4k in a year but of course I am runner first, the bike is second duty.

Cables can last a long time if things are working and you are not in the harsh conditions. Remember, if it is not broken do not fix the problem. This why I still use my spd pedals and eggbeaters instead of regular road shoes. I could gain very little for alot of trouble.