Bike maintenance tips for a newbie

Fenwick

Hey folks,
Just a quick few questions from a newbie to the cycling scene, for anyone who has a minute.
So I bought my Trek 7.1 last week and have just been taking it very easy, getting used to cycling again (last time I did it was about 15 years ago Id say) with the hopes of getting into it more seriously over the next few months. Now I broke my wrist years ago and it usually gets a bit sore with the change in the weather or any over use etc, I noticed after my first cycle last week (only about 20mins) that it was paining me afterwards. Just wondering is this something I may be doing wrong (maybe leaning on the handlebars too much) or is there anything I can do to lessen the impact my wrists seem to be taking. I understand obviously, that it’s the weakness of the wrist that the real issue, but just wondering if anyone had any tips to make my new found hobby a little less painful?
Was also just gonna ask is there any general maintenance I should do to keep the bike in good condition?
Finally (for the moment!) obviously I don’t intend on leaving the bike out in the rain, but sometimes clearly it’s not an option – how ‘bad’ is the rain for a bike and is there anything in particular I should do after it has been in the rain to prevent any damage to it?
Thanks in advance for any help.

goose06

Were you wearing a decent pair of gloves?

Fenwick

No, no gloves Goose – will I put them on the list?

Oh, one other thing I meant to ask. Now as I said I’m new to this so please excuse my ignorance. Gears – crash course anyone? I’ve two sets, one right and one left, am I right in presuming one is for the back and one for the front? Is there a ‘best’ way to change gears, or is there any way I can do any damage to them....within reason obviously! Anything else I should know about them?
Thanks again!

brozzie

Hey,

I'm in the same boat as yourself and new to cycling. I bought a second hand bike of a friend recently and find that my wrist got pretty sore the first few times I went out - been at it now about 6 week and they dont get half as sore anymore...

Not too sure what to do maintenance wise - I bought a cleaning kit in halfords and have used the degreaser on the chain and de railer but not too sure how often your supposed to clean it...

Colonialboy

congratulations on re-joining the cycling club and getting such a nice bike
If your wrist is getting sore then get some gloves which cover your wrists, keeping them warm will reduce pain until you get more used to it. Lidl often do cheap bike gloves.
Or your saddle might be too low and your having to strain your wrists.
If you got the bike new, cycle it back to the shop and ask them to check the size and go over the gearing with you. Or go to your local shop and explain, if they are nice they will help you and you will give them their business. And they will also advise on maintenance.

Just make sure you keep pedaling smoothly as you change gears, with practice you will get more comfortable. A bit of rain isnt too bad but try to give it a wipe down with a cloth after each spin and keep it in a shed or undercover if you can.

Vizzy

Firstly I'd advise to get a decent pair of gloves ( €20ish) and decent cycling shorts.They will make a major difference.
You can also keep a lookout in Aldi/Lidl for bargains.I think that they have a few today but my own feeligs are for "stuff" that comes between you and the bike,go for good quality gear as you will be rewarded with the extra comfort.
Don't worry too much about the rain,unless the bike is out in it constantly.
Just on the issue of getting the bike wet,when you wash it only use a bucket and sponge.Do not go near it with a power washer as you will wash all the grease/lubricant from bearings etc.
Gears
Am I right in thinking that you have 21 gears(i.e 3 sprockets on the front and 7 sprockets on the back)?
The gear shifter at your right thumb controls the movement across the rear sprockets and the smaller the sprocket you select on the back the harder it is to pedal(and the faster you go)
The shifter at you left thumb controls the sprockets at the front.With this,the smaller the sprocket,the easier it is to pedal.
When changing gear you need to be pedalling forward and then press the appropriate lever to change the forward or rear sprocket.
Remenber that if you change from say the middle to the large front sprocket that you are "going up" 7 gears and pedalling difficulty will be dramatically changed.
My suggestion would be to put the bike on the large front sprocket and on the 3rd or 4th largest sprocket on the back.
Now leave the front sprocket alone and just move up/down the gears on the back to make it easier to cycle(up a hill for instance) or faster(going downhill)

Make sense ??

kincsem

Gloves
You need road gloves (mitts) with gel padding in the palms to ease pressure, something like this http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=76265
You might think that price is ridiculously expensive, but buy quality and you will get the use out of them. I have medium size hands, but have a pair of extra large Specialized gloves, and a pair of large Giro gloves. I suggest you buy a bigger size than you "need". There will be a sizing chart on that website showing you glove size for hand measurement.

Outdoors
I never leave my bike(s) outdoors.
Two reasons: it will be stolen; it will deteriorate.

Adjusting gears
To the person who bought the Trek bike recently: after a few spins you will say something like "the gears don't work properly, the chain is jumping from ring to ring at the back". What happens is cables stretch with use. To adjust the gears back to changing sweetly do this - change gear to put the chain on the big ring at the front, then change gears to put the chain on the middle ring at the back (say you have nine rings at the back it should be on the middle or 5th). Now with the back wheel off the ground turn the pedals and the back wheel will spin, and probably the chain will rattle at the back. Turn the small black knob near the rear axle that is on the curved bit of cable. Turn it left or right (about a quarter turn at a time) until the rattling chain noise disappears. Then change gear at the back onto adjacent rings and adjust the knob again (if needed.)

Chain
To keep the chain in good condition:
Buy a small bottle of "Wet Lube". http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=1041
Using a small clean cotton rag wipe the chain hard to remove dirt.
After the rag cleaning lube the chain a little with wet lube, about a dozen drops around the length.
Ride the bike.
Repeat the "wipe with rag" and lube routine frequently. (I do it every ride.)
The ride loosens the dirt, the wipe removes the dirt. I never use cleaners on my chain.
Too much lube attracts dirt. Just use a little.

Gear changing
The left handlebar lever changes the front chainrings.
The right handlebar lever changes the cassettes at the back wheel.

Do not do this
Do not have the chain on the big ring at the front and the big ring(s) at the back.
Also do not have the chain on the small ring on the front and the small ring(s) at the back.
This is called cross-chaining and stretches the chain / and is inefficient.

Fenwick

Hey folks, thanks so much for the help! no doubt Ill be back again in a few weeks with a few more questions! Cheers again!

ratracer

Fenwick wrote: »

Hey folks, thanks so much for the help! no doubt Ill be back again in a few weeks with a few more questions! Cheers again!

One thing that hasn't been mentioned here and depending on where you bought your bike but I'd spend a few quid getting the bike fitted properly. You may be sitting too far forward which could be putting extra weight on your wrists.

Fenwick

Hey ratracer, I've to drop the bike back ina couple of weeks for a check up so Ill get them to take another look at that then.
THanks!

Fenwick

Hey, me again! Two more questions......

1. Is it bad for the bike to be taking the front wheel off too often? I head home about twice a month (bout a 2h journey) and would like to take my bike with me but that involves taking off the wheel and putting the bike in the boot (of a Polo so not huge really) with the seats down. Now I'm careful in the way that I place it in the boot but still not too happy doing it. Just wanted to get a few thoguhts on how this affects the bike, if at all. And if its a no-no, whats the alternative for transporting it?

2. Is there a 'proper' way of breaking? As in should I use the back and front breaks or one or the other etc?

Thanks again!

Donnelly117

Regarding the gears, the further you move the chain away from the frame the harder it is to turn the pedals, and the faster you will go. Try to avoid using combinations of gears which put a strain on the chain, mainly the big ring on the front with small cog on the back and vice versa.
As for the brakes, I just grab em both at the same time, be careful you dont grab too much front brake though or you might wind up faceplanting the road...

happytramp

There's no problem with taking the wheel on and off, just make sure you put it back on tight enough. If it's a quick release skewer (the one where you pull down the lever at the side of the wheel to loosen it) it should require a fair bit of force to close it up again, enough that you have to press firmly with your hand. You loosen and tighten it by turning the non-handle side of the skewer.

In general I use the back brake to slow down and the front one to stop. I usually apply one after another for a more gradual stop.

Fenwick

Good stuff, thanks again lads!

agentgreen

Can someone tell me how to tighten the brakes on a tiagra bike please?

Thanks.

Mycroft H

agentgreen wrote: »

Can someone tell me how to tighten the brakes on a tiagra bike please?

Thanks.

http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/sidepull-brake-service