Annual Road Bike Maintenance
It's a sad time of the year. Daylight Savings Time is over making after work rides harder because of the darkness. And winter is only weeks away with cold, its rain and snow. It's time for annual bike maintenance.
Your bike is a big investment. An LBS will charge from $100 - $150 to do this. And you should ask if they cover the items listed below. Of course, many of these things can be done at home.
- Check brake pads, replace if necessary
- Check cassette, replace if necessary
- Check rear derailleur alignment.
- Replace rusted bolts. The bolts on my stem are always rusting, due to the salty air around the beaches where I ride.
- Replace your helmet pads.
- Remove your seatpost, replace grease or carbon paste and reinstall. You don’t want your seatpost to become stuck in your downtube.
- Replace worn, or corroded, cables
- The overhaul includes disassembly, cleaning & lubrication. Keep in mind; each component requires a different type of lube and amounts.
- Bottom bracket
- Wheel bearings and freehub body
- Headset
- Pedals
Like car maintenance, cyclists take different approaches to bike maintenance. Some are very diligent, cleaning their bikes after every ride and checking their chain on a regular basis. Others, they wait until something goes wrong.
However, many components gradually drift out of spec, and there is a tendency for cyclists to accept a little problem here and there. Some will tolerate noises and bad shifting rather than perform the daily, weekly, quarterly and annual maintenance.
Cleaning your bike is probably the best maintenance task to do on a regular basis. Not only does it keep your expensive bicycle clean, but it also focuses your attention on your all parts of your bike while you wash and dry your bike. I wipe down my bicycle after nearly every ride, to get rid of the road dust. And once a week, I will wash down my bicycle. It takes just a few minutes, and it is worth it.
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