maverickmage

I'm a bicycling newbie. I have a road bike that's been sitting in storage for a couple of years. I recently took it out and dusted it off. Put new tubes in and cleaned and relubed the chains. Are there any other maintenance that I should perform before I start riding it again? Should I take apart and clean the cassette? Regrease the flywheel? Anything else?

HillRider

Depending on how long the bike has been stored and under what conditions, the hubs and headset bearings should be inspected and probably relubed. Adding a few drops of oil to the freehub body or freewheel is also a good idea to be sure the pawls don't stick. (I assume "flywheel" is a typo unless this is a very unusual bike )

maverickmage

Ahh yeah. I meant the hub.

The conditions that the bicycle was stored in was just to protect it from the sun and the rain. Wasn't in a climate controlled room. There doesn't seem to be any rust on the parts.

Thanks for the advice.

Continuity

+1 @ HillRider - Also, a new set of nice brake pads would probably not go amiss. (you could maybe treat yourself and your newly-awakened bike to some nice Kool Stops )

Also, you mention new 'tubes' but not tyres - do make sure to check that the rubber and sidewalls are OK on your currently-fitted ones.

Checking the chain with a chain-checker (or 12-inch ruler) wouldn't be a bad idea - you'll have an idea of how worn it is before you start using it again - a new chain is much cheaper than having to buy a new drivetrain.

Bill Kapaun

I would service the wheel bearings at a minimum. BB if not a cartridge type.
Cables if they feel sticky at all.

Humidity can make a lot of difference on what is actually needed.

cny-bikeman

There's really no way to tell, as the major factor is what condition it was in before it was stored. We can't assume everything was properly adjusted, lubed and overhauled to begin with. A couple years of storage would have essentially no effect on bearings with fairly fresh lube, but could add to probs with older grease, etc. Don't disassemble freewheel or cassette.

maverickmage

Oh? Why do you say that? Is there a way to get to the bearings without removing it? I've seen videos of it and it looks like a fairly straight forward procedure...

Continuity

I'm pretty sure he means that removing the cassette and freehub is fine - just don't be tempted into trying to dismantle them. (freehub needs a special tool to take apart, and the cassette by either removing three 1mm or so hex bolts on the higher-end ones, and by grinding off the rivet heads on the cheapos)

fietsbob

If you dont know when it was serviced last, it's time.

yea cassette drivers and freewheel bodies get solvent flushed,
there are too many parts to lose and not really practical.

maverickmage

Ahh. I got it. Thanks for all the help you guys!

cny-bikeman

I said that because you asked about taking apart the cassette, not removing it from the freehub/wheel. It's important to use the words that most accurately describe what you intend. Even the above response is not that clear. If you mean is there a way to get to the HUB bearings without removing the cassette the answer is "No - you do have to remove the cassette cog assembly from the freehub mechanism to properly access the hub bearings." If you had meant is there a way to get to the bearings in the mechanism that does the freewheeling (freehub or freewheel body) then the answer would be "No, but you don't need to get to them - just work in some oil or rinse in solvent and then lubricate."