Tips , tricks & tibits

These tips will save money for you in the long run by preventive maintenance and a hands on you bike daily.

Fist one is a clean pike is a happy bike and also shows issues far before they become major issues. Daily washes are necessary for day in the saddle in the woods, in the muck of winter, fall, or spring also on rain days. During the dry day of summer if you do not use a sports drink on the bike every few days is just fine. Dawn dish detergent is the pros choice for general cleaning it is a powerful oil and grease remover. You may also need a specific cleaner for stubborn grease and grime,there are many to choose from find one that works for you that you can live with using. Use a stiff bristle brush for the tires and bar tape natural is best as it does no hold on and spread the gunk. My preference for frame cleaning is for a 2.5" natural bristle sash brush. The sash brush is able to get into spots easily to wash and rinse. You will also need a bucket 2-4gal is plenty . I generally avoid spraying today's bikes unless they are a really mess then only a low pressure on the bike. Wash the bike from top to bottom then rinse out the bucket and brushes fill bucket with clean water and rinse with the brushes. If you are an over oilier or just seem to have a chain and cogs that collect crud you will need an additional brush for those surfaces. This time with you bike you should be looking over it very carefully as you wash and rinse looking for frame issue, and component issues.

To keep a drive train the days ( cogs and chain rings) change you chain at 1k-1.2k mi for most daily riders this will be once a month. With the chain change so early you can make you cogs and chain rings last over a season of hard daily use. If you are a racer or one who shifts a lot it is also time to change the inner cables for the derailleurs. The next month you should change the housings and all cables this also necessitates a bar tape swap out too. By keeping the bar tape fresh your hands will be more happy daily, by keeping the cables fresh yo save your self from broken cables that can be quite costly if a head gets jammed in the shifter. ( 200-400 per side)