Service Intervals

godtabh

Just wondering is there a rule of thumb with regard to service intervals for bike parts?

Had to drop the bike in for some work and was told some other parts need to be swapped out. Thing is I wouldn't have had a clue and don't want things to fail because I hadn't a clue so would like to key an eye on things from now on

07Lapierre

The main component that needs to be replaced before it wears out is the chain.
Get a chain wear indicator and check you chain wear every few months. Replace it before it gets too bad. this will help you get more life out of your cassette and chainrings.

Brake pads and tyres. Inspect them regularly and replace as required.

Brake and gear cables...they tend to last a long time, but I change them every year. (better than waiting for them to fail when you lest expect or want them too).

godtabh

Bike with about 8000km needs chain, cassette and bottom bracket replaced along with cables and front brakes.

I had a feeling chain needed to be replaced. Just wasn't aware of the cassette /bottom bracket

07Lapierre

8000k sounds about right.

Beasty

8,000k is quite a lot for a chain - when it's so worn the cassette inevitably requires replacing also. BBs vary, but again 8,000k is not unreasonable. I'm surprised you've only gone through the front brake pads also.

As 07Lapierre points out, cables would generally last longer, but if you're getting all this done at a bike shop you may as well get them done st the same time.

All the above can be done yourself though. It's worth starting with the relatively simple stuff - chain, cassette and brake pads are things that anyone should be able to do - you just need a chain breaker, a cassette removal tool and a chain-whip. Once you've done that you will build a bit of confidence to try other things (the BB can be a bit daunting as you need to remove the crankset, and then need to have the right tool, but it's actiually quite straightforward)

ford2600

07Lapierre wrote: »

8000k sounds about right.

8000km is too much for a chain in Irish conditions and too little for a cassette.

Keep a better eye on chain.

I'd just put on new chain, if it works don't change cassette, if it skips change.

Amprodude

How many Kms would/should you get out of tyres before considering replacing them?

Also I find my brakes even-though I have the cables well tightened are brutal in wet conditions that they are poor to stop. I don't have this problem in dry weather. Would I be better off replacing them?

CSteven88

Amprodude wrote: »

How many Kms would/should you get out of tyres before considering replacing them?

Depends on the tyres, conditions, how often/hard you brake etc. I've managed about 2000ks out my current Continentals and I'd say I'll get at least that again before I replace them, baring a catastrophic tyre meltdown.

godtabh

i got close to 7000km on my last set of continental 4000

Sorry I wasnt clear. Brakes had been changed already

browsing

I just go with the tyres until either I see the canvas in any spots or I get a puncture or two in quick succession. If there's still rubber there and you're not getting punctures I don't see the need to change. For racing where you're going around corners at speed I'd replace quicker where I'm getting flat spots as grip is critiical there (I wouldn't be riding puncture proof tyres then either!). I'd say I'd get a good few thousand k out of a rear and much more on the front. Maybe 2 to 3 rears to every front. I just replace other parts when necessary.

@Amprodude,
You say you tightened the cables but is there much slack when you start to pull the lever before they engage?
I changed my front pads recently as they were nearly gone but before I did there wasn't much of a difference. Before this though, I hadn't adjusted them in a while and as the pads wore, I was pulling the leaver more and more before they engaged and braking power was reduced. You might have tried this already as you've tightened the cables but just thought I'd mention it.

browsing

I personally wouldn't replace a bb at 8000k, but instead when there is any play in it. I think I maybe got 12000 k or something out of the winter bike and that was a cheap square taper. Like beasty, I'd also advise getting some tools as it's interesting to do yourself and you'll definitely use again. There's also loads of info online about pretty much anything. The main thing I would say is keep an eye out for any cracks in any chain links as you don't want to get caught out flying in the quays under serious pressure when you chain breaks.....

A badly worn chain can wear a cassette alright but I've found once or twice that there wasn't really any wear in the cassette etc so didn't bother replacing too. Beware of a "saw tooth" pattern etc as you can get slipping with a new chain on worn cassette.

For example, you only have a few thousand k left when it gets to this stage:pac::

Seweryn

ford2600 wrote: »

8000km is too much for a chain in Irish conditions.

It depends. The shortest mileage I got from a chain was 7k km, but normally it lasts between 8 and 11k km until it reaches 0.5 to 0.75% of wear. The key thing is the maintenance (like with everething though).

Cassette should last in the region of 25k km, or for simplicity let's say 3 chains.

Tyres normally lasts between 4 and 12k km, depends on tyre model, rider weight and where it is placed.

Brake pads - very much depends on road conditions, but normally they are OK for 5-10k km.

Bottom brackets... Very much depends on the type of the BB, the bearing quality and obviously the weather conditios. From my own experience the standard, factory replacement BB bearings (i.e. cr-p quality) can be gone after only 1k km, but a high quality set of bearings will go over 10k km+ easily (my last set of BB bearings has about 12k km on them and still running smoothly).

ford2600

Seweryn wrote: »

It depends. The shortest mileage I got from a chain was 7k km,

It depends if your obsessive about maintenance or not! Hands up guilty here!

Given OP is asking it's a fairly safe assumption he's not.

No right answer on distance, riding style, chain quality, lube quality, maintenance, etc will all affect lifespan.

godtabh

Just updating this thread.

Have the bike in for a re build. Good offer from a well known store.

Just got a phone call to say that the chain and BB need to be replaced again 3 months and 2500km since the last replacement. Does that seem unreasonable?

I asked why would they needed to be replaced so soon. The mechanic said that bad weather, power through put and hill climbing could be factors.

Yes the weather has been bad but I wouldn't have though worse compared to last year. I climb maybe 1500-2000m on average a week. Not sure about power. Maybe 240w average (based on an estimated FTP).

I was and oil my bike usually once a week. Should I be taking better care of it?

ford2600

Hollowtech 2 bb?

Sealing is poor, I got 1,500 out of one, 12k out of next one.

Chain at 2,500 is low. Check stretch with ruler.

€30 worth of tools you can do all that work yourself very cheaply.

Seweryn

godtabh wrote: »

Just updating this thread.

Have the bike in for a re build. Good offer from a well known store.

Just got a phone call to say that the chain and BB need to be replaced again 3 months and 2500km since the last replacement. Does that seem unreasonable?

I asked why would they needed to be replaced so soon. The mechanic said that bad weather, power through put and hill climbing could be factors.

Yes the weather has been bad but I wouldn't have though worse compared to last year. I climb maybe 1500-2000m on average a week. Not sure about power. Maybe 240w average (based on an estimated FTP).

I was and oil my bike usually once a week. Should I be taking better care of it?

The power output plays rather small role in wear and tear of components.
The maintenance is the key, then the quality of the parts and then is the weather and mileage.

Did you measure the chain wear yourself to see how bad it is? At 2.5k km if maintained well it should easily last another 2.5k km+. Anyway, I would start with measuring the chain wear (using a measuring tape rather than CWI tool).

Servicing the bike once a week in your case means every 210km. I do a few more km per week, but have to service the bike every day or every second day as minimum, otherwise the chain starts to get noisy. It also depends of the type of lubricant, i.e. a wet type lube should last your service intervals, but it makes the drivetrain very messy.

I can't comment on the BB bearings. It depends a lot on the quality of the components. A set of poor quality bearings will be gone in 2k km, but high quality bearings will last 10-15k km and will still be in a good shape (based on my own experience).

godtabh

Not sure what bb was used. The bike has a 105 group set and I asked for like for like replacement. As it turns out the chain wasn't 105 but can't remember the brand the mechanic mentioned.

I use muc off degreaser to clean drive train. I lube it up with muc off bike spray, a lube (with a man with a moustache on the front of it) or an aerosol

ford2600

godtabh wrote: »

Not sure what bb was used. The bike has a 105 group set and I asked for like for like replacement. As it turns out the chain wasn't 105 but can't remember the brand the mechanic mentioned.

I use muc off degreaser to clean drive train. I lube it up with muc off bike spray, a lube (with a man with a moustache on the front of it) or an aerosol

Roadlite 2014 has hollowtec 2.

Kmc, shimano, sram, clarks are main chains used. From my reading it appear, subject to Dr Seweryn comments, that campag and mavic make the most durable chains. Whatever chain, cycling style (cross chaning, changing under high load) maintenance and lube quality are key.

I typically get 5k and 3-4 chains per cassette

Seweryn

godtabh wrote: »

Not sure what bb was used. The bike has a 105 group set and I asked for like for like replacement.

Is the BB noisy / worn after the mileage covered? What happened to it actually? And is it the external cup type BB?

godtabh wrote: »

I use muc off degreaser to clean drive train. I lube it up with muc off bike spray, a lube (with a man with a moustache on the front of it) or an aerosol

Spray lube for your chain is bad idea. Avoid. The lube gets mainly where it is not needed and very little of it reaches the chain internal parts that actually need to be lubricated. Not sure what is the other lube you are using, but I would recommend anything of drip feed type lube that allows you to reach each link of the chain.

Seweryn

ford2600 wrote: »

Kmc, shimano, sram, clarks are main chains used. From my reading it appear, subject to Dr Seweryn comments, that campag and mavic make the most durable chains.

:pac:

I currently use the KMC (gold) chains and find them very good and durable. You can also buy them reasonably cheap. Other main brand chains are not bad either. I used Sram in the past and it was OK.

ford2600 wrote: »

Whatever chain, cycling style (cross chaning, changing under high load) maintenance and lube quality are key.

Absolutely yes . A lower qality chain will last longer if maintained, than a top of the range one neglected.