I've not owned a decent bike until now. And, I've never really taken care of my old ones. So, as the weather starts to break, and I start itching to get outside and ride. What stuff should be on my checklist to tighten, lube, and tweak??? Mind, I've got a fixed gear. But, I'm sure others have full gear sets.
I generally do the majority of my maintenance myself but once a year the shop gets the bike/s for a solid once over. After that I refer to some really good books that have helped over the years. Both are by Leonard Zinn and each one covers a specific form of bike from Road to Mountain. I would also suggest hooking up with your LBS and seeing what clinics they offer. Also if you have a local REI, they offer regular clinics as well which I believe are free if you are a member. Below are the links to the books I use as a reference. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/bo...the-Art-of-Road-Bike-Maintenance/Lennard-Zinn http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Zi...intenance/Lennard-Zinn/e/9781931382595/?itm=2 Twenty26six you should have an easy go of it since your a fixed gear rider. A good tire inspection is a good starting point then move on to making sure your wheels are still true. Brake lines/pads assuming you use brakes unlike other fixies. After that it's making sure head-sets are tight......
I am somewhere in between. In the past, I use to give all my maintenance to the LBS's in the area. Now, and after a couple of clinics/classes, I am doing a bit more and understanding a bit more. My problem, is that I need to keep practicing and wish I had a junker bike to practice on. Hopefully that will be remedied sometime this year. . With that I can build more confidence in taking care of not only the regular maintenance but even the more complex issues that arise. I have a pretty good LBS that I go to and the gang there are happy to answer questions. +1 at Moishe's comment on the Zinn books. Great place to get started and to use as reference. He also has a column on velonews.
Just remember to avoid alcohol and weed when working on a derailleur as to avoid going completely mental. For me that absolute worst part of bicycle maintenance.
On a fixie? How long has it been since you did any maintenance? Check your chainstretch. As you ride, the chain wears and becomes slightly longer/loose over many many miles. Most people move the wheel back in the track ends to compensate, but eventually you have to replace the chain. Chainrings also wear, particularly if they're AL, which most are. Check your headset for indexing if it's threaded (rather than threadless). Tires, tubes and brake cables (if you use a brake) all wear out eventually.
Per Moishe's request, I found this website when looking for help with tightening my brakes. I haven't used the site for anything else so I can't verify the quality of the advice outside of what I was looking for, but it was very useful for what I needed from it.
I've ridden my bike no more than 40 miles, and I've already had a pedal began to fall off, and the brakes had to be adjusted, as they felt really soft. I felt pretty confident doing the brakes myself, but the small bolt holding the pedal, that was a different issue.. I did it myself, it feels tight and all, but I still feel "iffy" about it, since I have no prior bike fixing experience.. Is it too soon to be experiencing these mechanical malfunctions? I do try to punish it going downhill..
Even with aggressive riding your bike shouldn't be showing any issues this soon. If you bought it at a local bike shop then they should have offered you some form of service deal as part of the purchase. Most importantly they should have done a once over on the bike before you even walked out the door.
They did go over the bike, and they did give a two year free maintenance/service deal with the purchase. I guess I'm gonna have to take it to them to go over it again..
There's no reason not to if it's free. Maybe you can watch what the mechanic is doing and pick up some tips. The mechanic at my lbs has been pretty helpful in terms of suggesting equipment and maintenance ideas.
On top of that most shops offer the free classes which usually end up saving you some money in the long run. Take advantage of all the free service you can but definitely learn to work on your bike, it gives you a sense of satisfaction.
After my spillage of last week my bike had a hard time shifting gears. I took it to my lbs and it turns out my derailleur got bent in the accident. I also went ahead and bought some new brake pads (even though I'd just tightened my old brakes) and some chain cleaner. I put the new brake pads on this weekend (as well as cleaning/re-lubing my chain and cleaning my rims) and took the bike out today. They seem to work pretty well, although the ride home will be the big test because it is primarily downhill. I've also been experimenting with a higher cadence (not that I have any idea how many rpms I'm actually doing). It kind of feels like I'm not going as fast but I suppose I just need to get used to that.
Well I'm a noob with maintenance. Back in CT my son's best friend was an actual bike mechanic and he took care of everything. Well on Sunday I cleaned my chain, as directed. Today went for a ride and my rear deraileur sounded pretty clunky. Sounds like metal on metal to me. I tried calling bicycle repairman [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eCdIe0wdvU"]YouTube - Monty Python: Bicycle repairman![/ame] to no avail. I tried using my bicycle repair book from Bicycling Magazine and that didn't really help at all. So now I'm trying to decide to try and fix it, without a bike stand so my back is going to hurt like monkeys, or bring to the shop.
Once you find your sweet spot between rings and spin, you'll love it. I used to live in a big ring but really never had much left at the tail end of long rides and now it's the opposite. If you have enough hills in your area then it's really a benefit. One of the most important purchases I've made. You can lower the frustration level of working on your bike fifty fold. If you hit enough sites you should be able to find one for $50.
Well my bicycle repairman called me back. i described the sound and he says "I know what you did". I go back to look at my deraileurs and he says "you see the guide on the back pulley, well there is a guide on the front pulley, you went over it instead of under it - therefore - noise." How good is he? He's bicycle repairman good!
Cadence sensor on your bike comp? What's "higher" in your estimation? 85-95 rpm seems to be pretty fashionable lately, at least among the age grouper tri set. The thing is, once you get a sense of what it feels like, you should be able to get right around it with or without a sensor telling you you're on it.
Instead of purchasing a bike stand, I did this: 1) I took an old 4ft dog leash. 2) Hooked the "leash handle" around the nose of my bike seat. 3)Tied a small string through the "latch" of the leash. 4) Ties the string to a rafter in my basement. Now, the bike hangs there for repairs.
My garage ceiling is 10 feet high. I don't have a ladder yet. I found a cheapie bike stand for $30. Figure I'm not doing big stuff, just need to get it off the ground so my back doesn't hate me.
Doing more of a end of the season cleaning at the moment. -Tires are off and I have been cleaning the dirt and grease off of them. -Chain has been cleaned, but I am also going to be removing this and taking off the crank and chain rings. I have never done this by myself, so let's hope I make sure those rings stay in order. -Might take the cassette off and clean, just to see if I can do it myself. -cables look fine at the moment, but will be doing some typical adjustments -Putting on bar tape. Again, something I have never done before. I always wanted to become more intimately acquainted with my bike and I also do not want to pay the overhaul/cleaning fees a lbs would charge. Picked up a few Park Tool tools and I have also been watching some of the Bike Tutor vids http://bicycletutor.com/ We also have a bike depot/co-op right by the house, so if I do make a cluster$#@& of it I can always take it there and get some cheap assistance.