Bike Maintenance

You can probably go quite a while. I used to change mine every couple of years, but I was doing 5,000 / 8,000 miles per year. The general rule of thumb though is to change the cassette along with the chain. The chain stretches as it wears and the teeth of the cogs tend to get slightly "hooked" as they develop a wear pattern to match the chain. If you put a new chain on old gear cogs you will experience skipping problems on some of the more heavily used gears, the ones that have the greatest wear. The same goes in reverse...if you change cogs, go ahead and change the chain at the same time. That way they get to wear out together and develop a matching wear pattern.

Max

Thanks Max.

This is the first year that I have put very many miles on the bike and I'm still trying to get a grasp on standard maintenance issues. I spent most of my time during my first 2 years of doing tris riding the stationary bike or my mtb.

OK, Max, I have another question for you. I have noticed that my bike is getting a little dusty and grimy from the rides and back of the car transporting. How should I wash my bike?

Phil, I wash mine with a light mist from the garden hose and soapy water with a scrub brush and sponge. As long as you don't direct a hard spray at the wheel and crank bearings, its OK. Follow up immediately by drying and lubing the chain, pulleys on rear derailleur, spot of lube on brake cables and pivots etc. The Pro teams wash bikes all the time like this, it shouldn't hurt anything. Keeping it well lubircated is the important part.

Max

What do you use for lube?

I like a product called White Lightning for lubricating the drive train. It was recommended to me by my buddy at the local bike shop, and it seems to be fairly popular. The nice thing about it is that you don't have to wipe the excess off to avoid accumulating dirt, which you have to do with some lubricants. It comes in a bottle in liquid form, and you just put a few drops on the chain, and a drop on whatever other moving parts need to be lubricated. The bottle I bought cost about $10, and he said it should last a couple of years.

Sheldon Brown says.....
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/chains.html

You should have a look at Sheldon's site, he's a guru's guru
for all things cycling

Sheldon has some good points, though he and I disagree strongly on the use of what he calls "oil". Not sure if he's referring to petroleum based lubricants, as they are major dirt attractors. Lots of people use teflon based lubricants specifically designed for bicycling, as they don't attract dirt as much. I use the stuff developed by Pedro's, available at local bike shops. I definitely would not use motorcycle lubricants as he suggests. Having been involved with motorcycles for 30 years, I know that the viscosity of their chain lubricants is a lot heavier than what is appropriate for bicycling. Trust me, if they were as great as Sheldon suggests, the US Postal Service pro team would be using it.

Max

Ice Wax of White Lightening.