Daily commuting maintenance
 

I'm wondering what kind of day-to-day or week-to-week maintenance I need to be doing on my commuter bike. Between the hills and traffic I'm figuring that my steel frame and components are getting a lot of extra abuse, even though the bike still lives inside at night. What are the little things that I need to be doing each afternoon when I put the bike up or even once a week to keep the bike in long-distance shape?

The one thing that I always, always do after every ride, is wipe the bike down, and rub some Bike Lust (a silicone spray that offers some protection to road grime, which is very acidic) on it. I do that not just to keep the bike clean, but also because it gets me up close and personal, so I can really see if anything is wrong. Outside of that, I check to make sure the important bolts and other fasteners are tight, that the brakes are working properly, the headset isn't too loose, and the tire pressure is where it's supposed to be.

Do nothing. It really isn't needed. Just remember to lube the chain every once in a while and inspect the cables for integrity. Check your frames for cracks and pump your tires.

I try to clean my chain once a week, maybe once every two weeks. That black gunk that builds up on the chain is the rubber from the auto tires - my LBS says it's rather abrasive and should be cleaned off regularly.

Don't do a whole lot myself.

About the only maintenance I do with any regularity is lube and adjust chain-tension, and I usually turn the tire 1/3 or so of a turn when I re-tension the chain (Helps lessen flat/bare spots that result from skidding/skipping.). Other than that, and checking tire pressure once or twice a week there's not a whole lot to do to maintain a fixie. That's one of the reasons they make such good commuters :).

I've recently switched from Pro Gold, to a dry lube. Hoping that will pick up less grime, so I'll have to clean the chain less often.

-Trevor

I commute on a singlespeed MTB so all I have is:

Fix flats
Lube the chain when it sound like it needs it
Change the (cartridge) brake blocks.

-Tire pressure. Check it every week. This is the most important thing you can do.
-Wipe down your bike to keep it clean, especially the drive train (I like to clean the cassette by sticking a rag between the gear every few weeks).
-Depending on your conditions, you should also take apart the jockey wheels every 3 months to a year, then wipe them out and smear the inside with grease (not lube). I took mine apart after a year and they were filled with grime. The cleaning also got rid of an annoying squeak.
-Your chain will need to be replaced more frequently. A good rule of thumb is every 1500-2500 miles, but your LBS can measure the chain to see if it has stretched enough to be replaced (or you can buy the tool to measure it yourself).
-Watch the break pads.

once you ride the bike everyday and are used to it, you should be able to feel when something just isn't right.

listen to your bike. it'll let you know when it's not happy!

other than pumping the tires, and lubing the chain (along with an occasional wipedown/inspection) i only do maintenence when i feel or hear something wrong... the longer you ride the better you get at diagnosing these problems by the type of click or squeak it makes!

Daily: Ride it.
Weekly: Lube the chain, pump the tyres.
Bi-Weekly: Wash it, cleaning the rims and brake blocks especially.
Monthly: Thorough clean and some spray lube in all the pivots.

Take it out for dinner once in awhile.

I give mine a nice theraputic back massage every once in a while, then take it to bed and...well you know.

The main reason I carry tools is so when I get stuck waiting somewhere (because there is no point going home and then bringing the car back to town) I do bike maintenance. Adjust anything that I have been thinking, "I need to get to that..." and clean the chain and the worst of the muck. My ride is not too dirty, so I probably will get away with minimal maintenance until I replace my machine.

It's a commuter. Do nothing on a daily basis other than park it out of the rain as much as possible. I wipe & lube my chain every couple of weeks and clean the grit off the rest of the bike when it bothers me, which is much less than monthly.

For the "wipe the frame everyday" folks, could you explain how wiping a painted or aluminum surface prevents corrosion or any other problems? I don't get it. The places to really wipe, between pivot points, are never wiped and dried. I know drying a wet bike makes it look nice, and that is a good thing, but does it serve any other functional purpose? Thanks.

Typically I wipe and lube the chain every few weeks and clean the chain about once every 2-3 months. I wash the frame whenever it's getting dirty enough to bother me, but it is a commuter so I don't try to keep it looking pristine. Other than that, I pretty much just fix it when it shows signs of wear or problems.

I pay more attention to components wearing out than I do things being dirty... e.g. chain wear, worn brake pads etc. It's cheaper to fix these things before they completely wear out and/or fail, rather than wait for it to happen and damage something else.

I wash it when it's dirty. That's a good time to check the frame and tighten anything that's loose. Throw some lube on the chain when it's dry, making sure to wipe off the excess.

In the spring, after the weather dries out, I'll probably replace the chain and brake pads. Maybe re-wrap the bars with nice clean cork tape.

You can't get everything, but you can get a lot. If there is less water on the outside of the chain, it makes the whole thing dry out faster.

I also do it for two other reasons: First, I take my bike inside at home and work. I want to minimize the gunk it drips. Second, pride.

I don't believe in "it's just a commuter." If it's a commuter, it means it requires more attention than one of those toy CF road bikes people take out on the weekend.

If you don't already have them, fenders go a long way towards decreasing the amount of maintenance you'll need to do (that is, if you ride in the rain/slush). Not only do they keep a lot of splashing off of you, but a lot of that splashing ends up on the drive train, and if you're in snow-prone areas, a lot of that splashing is a saltly, cindery solution that is definitely bad for your bike.

I do very little maintenance on my commuter: I periodically wipe down the chain and cogs with and old rag and lightly relube. I only very rarely (once or twice per year?) take the chain off for a thorough cleaning. To be honest, I often go quite a while without doing anything. If anything feels funny or squeaks then I take a harder look.

I agree with fenders, especially if you add a long mudflap under the front one. I also lube my chain with "wet lube", which tends to resist a relatively long time in the rain or snow; however, when comes Winter, I sometimes apply grease (yes! others use very heavy transmission oil) because it lasts longer under salty spray mist. For Winter protection, I also coat the bottom bracket with grease.

Drivetrain cleaning is not too much of a chore. I get the crud off the derailleur's jockey wheels every month or so (more often in Winter), and I usually have to clean the chain once in Summer and 2-3 times in Winter. I clean it the lazy way, with WD-40 and a brush. At the same time, I check tires, front brake pads and other potential source of problems.

Twice a year, I swap tires: 700x37 studded (1 bike) or knobbies (others) in Winter, 700x32 slicks in Summer. This is a good time to check tire wear. Full fenders have one drawback: it's easy to wear them out without knowing it!

As for actual bike cleaning? I usually wash the bike every spring -- whether it's dirty or not -- and sometimes wipe the bike tubes and the underside of fenders with WD-40. The latter is a sort of water repellent and I find it reduces the amount of stuff sticking under the fenders. How often? Maybe every 2-3 weeks in Winter and 2-3 months in Summer.

The tool you can buy to measure it yourself is called a ruler. (see sheldon brown's explanation)