bicycle maintenance
 

Hi again, I am wondering what I should be doing to keep my bike working well? I don't do anything major. I will probably stick to a 45 minute ride (5-6 times per week) around the neighborhood pulling my son in his baby trailer.

I called a local LBS and they said they would sell me a tuning package. When do I need this? Do I need this? I am pretty handy with tools and such, even though I spend my days developing websites for a living.

Chain clean and lubed. There are lots of ways to do this. Do a search and learn more then I can type. Cables clean and lubed. Wipe them off at every point where they leave the cable housing. A drop or two (no more) of Tri-Flow on the cable once a quarter is fine. Pedals clean and lubed, as needed. Brakes kept in adjustment and pads replaced as needed. Again, do a search and learn more than I can type. Derailers clean and lubed. Wipe them clean and a drop of tri-flow on all pivot points once a quarter is fine. Avoid the carwash with the bike to keep water out of where it is not supposed to be (wheel bearings, head set, bottom bracket etc). After that, it's corrective maintenance, replacing chains when needed, cassettes, chain rings etc. Thats LBS territory for me. Wheel truing is maintenance too, I use the LBS for that work as well.

Funny you mention car washes, my family owns a couple.