maintenance
 

I clean/lube my commuter bike's chain every other week, and am new to mountain biking. I'm riding my mountain bike 3-6 miles of single track (sand and clay) 3 times a week. What maintenance do I need to routinely do, and how often? I have a HT Rockhopper. Thanks!

keep your chain clean. ideally you should clean it after each ride. no one does. (i just got back from a ride, i'm still sweaty. my chain is still dirty and will be until i ride it again). lube it and wipe it down before each ride. out here we use Rock and Roll chain lube, because it cleans and lubes at the same time and works great for our conditions. use whatever lube is best for your area. WD-40 is not a lube.

"floss" your fork, that is, get all the grit and crap out from between the stanchions and uppers. as your stanchions slide up and down, the grit and sand can get past the seals and scratch it up and decrease the life of your fork.

keep the right air pressure in your tires. too low and you can pinch flat.

other than that, tighten stuff up when it gets loose.

and wash your chamois. better yet, don't wear chamois.

Thanks! Husband is an engineer, dad a mechanic....learned long ago that WD40 is a moisture displacer rather than a lube ;-) we check air pressure every time we ride. sounds like I need to give my chain a bit more love and pay attention to my fork.

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