Routine Home Maintenance

Once properly set up by a competent mechanic, your bike should only require very simple and minor attention for some months. Having a regular routine of cleaning and lubricating your bike will enable you to spot damage, wear, and poor adjustment, therefore increasing safety and reliability and possibly knocking potential problems on the head before they become serious. Discuss with your CoBR member the frequency of servicing which is most appropriate for your bike.

Wash your bike regularly, particularly if you ride off road. Watch your hubs etc. if you use high powered jet washing equipment. (Owing to the high pressures they can force water into places it shouldn't go.) You can then polish your frame - yes, I said polish. This helps protect the frame as well as making it shine.

After you have washed the bike either dry, or leave to dry, and then lubricate anything metallic which moves. There are many products available for this purpose. Teflon or PTFE based products are best for cables etc. An adhesive lubricant is often best for your chain. Ask your CoBR member who will be pleased to advise you.

Replace your brake pads when the wear indicator line is reached. Worn pads will damage the rim and if they touch the side wall of your tyre could cause damage to the tyre and even cause a blow-out. Replacement can be extremely complicated so take it to your CoBR member if you don't feel confident to tackle the job.

Replace brake or gear cables before they show visible signs of wear. Immediately replace any which are fraying. If, after lubrication, the cable is stiff or creaks, you may need a new one.

A chain and cassette combinatioin can last many months but not forever. A cassette can be made to last even longer if the chain is changed more frequently. Leaving the chain and cassette together means that they wear together and therefore when the chain starts "jumping" - a sure sign it is worn - you are faced with replacing both chain and cassette. Sorry there is no alternative, a new chain will rarely bed-in to a worn cassette.

Servicing

New bikes, purchased from a CoBR member will always be given a FREE service, usually within one month of purchase. Frequency of servicing thereafter depends on use.

Ridden all the time, every week, your bike would probably benefit from a 3 monthly service. Ridden once or twice a week, every 6 months is adequate.

Your CoBR member will advise you on the type of service to have. This will vary from a "standard service", usually tightening, adjusting and checking, to a complete "strip down", which is as it suggests. The latter is only necessary once a year unless your steed is given some real hammering by you.

Don't ignore this vital part of bike care. You bike will last longer, be more reliable and safer!