Cleaning and caring for my bikes...

murphyebass

Hi guys,

I have 2 bikes. A mountain bike that gets used maybe a half dozen times a year, sad I know but true these days unfortunately, lack of time due to work and family.

And I have a racer as well which gets used maybe twice a week in good weather and a lot less in not so good weather.

So yes Im a fair weather and very amateur cyclist and find myself with two imo nice bikes and dont want them to rust or break from lack of care.

Is there a basic video to show what I should be cleaning/oiling/greasing and what to use etc cause I've owned my racer a year now and have done eh very little other than make sure the brakes work and wheels were pumped up.

As for the mountain bike even less than that to be honest other than a wipe down after its been up a mountain.

Anyway I know you will all be appauled by my lack of maintainence but I'm sure I'm not alone.

The BTW scheme has allowed people like me to buy lovely bikes but really have no clue what to do with them.

thanks.

feck sake lads

As long as you dont keep them outside or in a damp shed they should be fine, big mistake is to over oil chain front and rear mech.if you clean the bike really well and i mean all of it pit a good quality oil on the chain and gears let it soak in then clean it off the chain with a clean rag the chain shouls be as clean as you can possible get it otherwise it will distroy all moving parts over time.
warm soapy water
polish
lube correct pressure in tyres
bobs your uncle.

murphyebass

feck sake lads wrote: »

As long as you dont keep them outside or in a damp shed they should be fine, big mistake is to over oil chain front and rear mech.if you clean the bike really well and i mean all of it pit a good quality oil on the chain and gears let it soak in then clean it off the chain with a clean rag the chain shouls be as clean as you can possible get it otherwise it will distroy all moving parts over time.
warm soapy water
polish
lube correct pressure in tyres
bobs your uncle.

Thanks for the reply first off.

My shed is one of the wooden ones and is at least 10 years old so probably is slightly damp. Cant imagine it being perfect by any means.

• ok so dont oil the front and rear mech (not sure what they are if I'm honest)
• You mention good quality oil for the chain (what oil should I get?)
• You mention Lube as well (what lube do I buy and what do I lube, seriously no jokes here lads, way to easy)

As for the cleaning of the bike with warm soapy water that sounds grand and I have a track pump for the right pressures so I have that part down thankfully.

Again thanks for the reply, I wasnt online yesterday after my op hence the late reply now.

De Bhál

there's some very good videos on Youtube fully explaining how to clean and lubricate your bikes. They really are the best way to get advice on this subject.

here's a good one on pre-cycle bike check and some cleaning advice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijJWdhw1c6s

There's hundreds more.

murphyebass

De Bhál wrote: »

there's some very good videos on Youtube fully explaining how to clean and lubricate your bikes. They really are the best way to get advice on this subject.

here's a good one on pre-cycle bike check and some cleaning advice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijJWdhw1c6s

There's hundreds more.

cheers, will have a look at that later.

Any of the ones I looked at werent that helpful. Maybe I was just unlucky with the ones I looked at.

feck sake lads

i found the best lube (oil) is progold or triflo both can be bought from chainreaction online store very good.
front and rear mech are for changing gears ,when i say dont oil them i mean only the moving parts and dont over do it only attract dirt important to keep the drivetrain very clean,
another tip if your unlucky enough to puncture god forbit when your out cycling [EMAIL="DON@T"]DON@T[/EMAIL] turn your your bike upside down thats a real freds move.:D:D

murphyebass

feck sake lads wrote: »

i found the best lube (oil) is progold or triflo both can be bought from chainreaction online store very good.
front and rear mech are for changing gears ,when i say dont oil them i mean only the moving parts and dont over do it only attract dirt important to keep the drivetrain very clean,
another tip if your unlucky enough to puncture god forbit when your out cycling DON@T turn your your bike upside down thats a real freds move.:D:D

Thanks for the advice. I'll get an order in to Chain Reaction so for that.

Thankfully havent had a puncture yet thanks to Gatorskins. (I've just jinxed havent I)

No Pants

feck sake lads wrote: »

another tip if your unlucky enough to puncture god forbit when your out cycling DON@T turn your your bike upside down thats a real freds move.:D:D

What else can you do when on the side of a road and you have to drop a wheel out?

billyhead

feck sake lads wrote: »

i found the best lube (oil) is progold or triflo both can be bought from chainreaction online store very good.
front and rear mech are for changing gears ,when i say dont oil them i mean only the moving parts and dont over do it only attract dirt important to keep the drivetrain very clean,
another tip if your unlucky enough to puncture god forbit when your out cycling [EMAIL="DON@T"]DON@T[/EMAIL] turn your your bike upside down thats a real freds move.:D:D

Chainreaction do not stock it now online. Are there any other retailers who might have it?

Green&Red

Heres all you'll ever need
http://worldwidecyclesblog.com/2007/06/11/tip-of-the-week-bike-washing/