Timber_8

How often do PM your bike and what does it consist of.

I personally am on a weekly PM schedule. I have been using a wax based chain oil because of the large amount of rain fall. I have been doing about 100 miles a week and my chain gets chatty by Fridays return ride. Over the weekend I wipe the bike & chain down, remove the rear wheel & clean the cassette, front sprockets. reassemble and oil the chain, check air pressure in the tires. That about it. Wax based oil wears off in about 5 days so chain chatter keeps me on top of this.

RonH

Kudos to you.
When I was bike commuting I'd clean and lube my bike every other week unless I got caught in the rain. Then I'd clean and lube the bike when I got home.

I wish some of the bikes that come into the shop I work at were as well maintained as yours. Some of the bikes are so filthy that I'd really like to explain how to use a garden hose to the bike owners.
Seems the dirtiest bikes belong to bike commuters.

jaxgtr

If I get caught in the rain, that night, otherwise about every couple of weeks.

rumrunn6

I think that no matter what we do the chain; rear cog and crank will all wear out. Meaning if you are racking up the miles - just keep it reasonably clean and lubed (but not to excess) and plan on replacing those parts that wear. Meaning preventative maintenance won't prevent us from having to replace those parts, you know?

Kat12

When you lube, etc. does that mean you remove the chain, scrub it, let it dry, and then re-lube?

rumrunn6

uh oh here comes another chain cleaning thread ... :-)

btw: lots of ways to do it

Sixty Fiver

It depends on the season...

Our summers are warm and dry with little rain so I can go about 400 km between chain cleaning / servicing while in the winter it might be cleaning and re-lubing the chain on a daily basis.

My dedicated winter bike gets torn down and re-greased every three months while other bikes will get a yearly tune up unless something is needed.

I regularly check my bikes to make sure things that everything is working properly which is a matter of pre-ride safety.

dynodonn 

Pretty much sums up my maintenance routine.

TamaraEden

maintenance? what's that? when I throw the bike in my car and drive it to the bike shop for my lifetime of tuneups?

Bat22

When I give my bike a bath and look at it close. I notice that my brake pads
may need to be adjusted for wear. Cables may be getting frayed.Rust collecting
on allen head bolts.I started out with a clean stand then got a workstand.
$50. set of Nashbar tools and something like the Park Blue Book.
Over the years the toolset grew. Six bikes have thier own mini tool kit and spare tube.
I learned a lot about maintenance in the 90's while I was bouncing around on this.

Juha

+1. I don't do much preventive maintenance myself, but when I last had to change drive train components, they had over 11 000 km on them. At that point the chain had started skipping like nobody's business. I had to replace the entire drive train of course (cassette, chain, rings+cranks, sprockets and whatnot). Still, I think I got my money's worth of riding out of the parts, with minimal maintenance.

--J

rongarcia

I commute 50 miles a week so every weekend I wipe the chain down and oil it, when it rains I do it after each ride and wipe the whole bike down. I give my bike a good cleaning every other weekend which consist of taking the rear wheel off and scrubbing the cassette and front crankset. I am having the entire drive train replaced because the chain stretched, at what point (months or miles) is it a good time to change out a chain before it does severe wear and tear to the cassette and chain rings?

rongarcia

I just read that changing out the chain every 6 months or 750-1000 miles will esure it remains the proper lenght and prevent it from wearing the sprokets down to the point of no return.

Wanderer

I'll be darned if I would replace the chain every month! I'd much rather clean and lube it regularly. I normally ride 750-1000 miles a month.

Mine gets washed when it's dirty or gritty, and the drive train cleaned and lubricated. Same thing if I ride in the rain or mud. The only time it gets it otherwise, is when it starts shifting funny, or starts making noise.

It usually boils down to once a month or sooner...... the derailleur parts might get a drop more often..

Timber_8

I do 100 miles a week, I just do a good clean once a week regardless of weather, I use a wax based chain lube to keep the grit out and it has to be done every week or the chain gets chatty. I do keep my bike inside at work & at home.

rongarcia

How about this: check the chain every 3-6 month by pressing lightly on the right pedal while holding a 12inch ruler against the top half of the chain. 12 full links (measuring from pin to pin) measure exactly 12 inches long but if they measure 12 and 1/8 inches or more, replace it.

Chuck G

I put from 36 to 50 miles a week on my main commuter probably 9 months out of the year.

Once a week I check the tire pressure.

I try to clean the drivetrain and lube the chain once a month, but I am not always that faithful. I use a Park cassette brush to get any K-Rap from between the cassette cogs, use shop rags to wipe any gunk off the derailleur pulleys and the chainrings, clean the chain with shop rags then lube it with Tr-Flow and wipe off the excess lube.

Every other month I try to clean the bike: frame, rims, brakes, derailleurs, sometimes even the spokes if I am feeling really anal.

Every year I replace the chain and brake pads.