7 Ways You're Ruining Your Road Bike | Bicycle Maintenance Mistakes To Avoid
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ก.ย. 2024
- Look after your bike and it will look after you! Jon discusses 7 bicycle maintenance mistakes that are all to easy to make.
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Which of these mistakes have you made?
When I was younger I used to put lube on the dirty chain. Over and over again. Worn cassettes and chainrings as a result.
I didn't wash my old steel Peugeot after riding in winter. The salt destroyed the frame. I can only use it on the roller now.
I also have a good tip: The right seat post! I bought a Trek 5500 OCLV Carbon 120 and nearly destroyed the frame because the seat post was way too short and I did not know any better. I only heard slight cracking at every bump on the road.
The seat post must be inserted so low that it reaches to the lower end of the top tube.
went over a pothole and broke 3 of my spokes ..
Im not sure where I come down on the wet lube dry lube thing. I haaaaaaaaate every dry lube I've tried. My current favorite is some stuff called Chain-L . I love it. been using it for the last 8 years and every time i try something else I go back to this. I think its a bit of a wet lube but i cant stand dry lubes compared to this stuff. I like a quiet drive train and dry lubes are so light they just make a ton of noise...
Lol I ride my bike year round. GCN just told me to go out and buy another one. Let me tell my husband my good news☺️
Shanny D BAHAHAH I love this answer
This is probably the worst advice out there. I also read this advice for running shoes, that you should buy two pairs of running shoes because they will otherwise wear faster.
But guess what? Of course a product that you use is going to wear out. Just use it until it wore too far, then buy a new one. No need to buy another copy or another bike.
@@AAscension another bike actually makes a lot of sense. You have one fast expensive bike for races, and another dirt cheap heavy one for training, especially in winter.
Hahahahha
I need to move to a place where it doesn’t snow 2 months, is hot as hell for 2 months, and rains for 2 months.
I thought the whole point is to wear it out prematurely. How else are you going to justify upgrading parts and potentially buying a brand new bike? "Sorry honey, I have to..."
So I'm not the only one who has figured this out, lol. "They just don't build them like they used too, Honey...."
LMAO!!
Genius! Complete genius!
hilarious! but still cucked.
I am currently trying to justify buying a Trek Checkpoint SL5 by wearing everything out.
"Use the wet lube in the wet and the dry lube in the dry" - if only our weather was that dependable.
One can't truly do this, except with two different bikes - one reserved for dry weather only.
Good luck with British weather forecast accuracy...
The only part of your bike that needs to be clean is the drive train (chain, cassette and chainrings) because abrasive dirt and grit creates wear. Dirt anywhere else does less damage than washing your bike with water. Pressure washing your bike forces dirt in and lubricant out of the nooks and crannies of your headset, bottom bracket and hubs. Bikes are neither waterproof or water resistant. Most of the time, the cleanest bikes on the outside have the driest and rustiest parts on the inside. You are better off wiping the bike down once in a while to keep it reasonably clean and avoiding major washing until you are prepared to disassemble and clean the parts properly and then lubricate before reassembly.
Never thought I’d see the day...
After years of “clean your bike!” We’re finally at the point of “... but not too much”
My tip that I experienced myself is; if you get a frame builder to build you some new forks that look just amazing, then don't go too fast on a fast corner and cycle head on into a stone wall and destroy your brand new forks.
The shot of Si epically washing his bike needs Ride of the Valkyrie music.
Definitely
I'd think Water Music would be more appropriate?
Number one far and away is leaving a bike outside. I work at a co-op and we get hundreds of donated bikes every year because they were left outside to rot and rust.
Number two is under-inflated tires. Every bike shop in fixes pinch flats daily. Under-inflation also prematurely wears tires and often leads to damaged wheel rims, an expensive repair.
Number three is keeping the drivetrain properly lubricated. So many bikes are either lacking lubrication and rusted over, or WAY over lubricated to the point where even putting the offending parts in an parts washer or ultrasonic cleaner won't remove the grime easily.
Number four is related to number three; not keeping the bike clean. Working on commuter and other daily rider bikes is where I see lots of destruction from dirt left to wear out drivetrains and brakes.
An often overlooked bit of maintenance is to remove the seatpost occasionally and clean and re-grease it if your bike requires it. There is just about nothing more frustrating and time consuming than trying to free a stuck seatpost. This applies to old bikes with quill stems too.
Solid advice there, exactly as I would advise to anyone. You sound like a well trained and experienced mechanic.
@@d.s.399 All metal to metal contact needs greasing otherwise binding will occur, and, as described by trekkeruss expensive repairs will follow. A greased seatpost will happily stay in place if installed properly. If you are not sure the local qualified mechanic will sort this out for you. With Carbon a non-oil based lube is required to prevent swelling.
@@d.s.399 The grease forms a film that separates the seat post from the seat tube. Otherwise, the 2 different metals will bond together. Same with old quill stems and steel steerer tubes.... I've got a mid-1980's Fuji with no stem binder bolt. Don't need one. The stem has FUSED to the steerer due to lack of grease.... "Trekkeruss" and "Jon B" are correct....
I couldn't agree more. I live in a university town on a route between student houses and campus and I desperately want to flag people down in the street just to do basic lubrication because I can hear bikes squealing from inside my house. I want to find some way to tell students, "Your '90s Trek mountain bike frames and '70s Schwinn road bike frames will last forever if you just take care of them and the parts on them." Unfortunately it seems that disposable culture has taught them that it's easier to buy a new $50 bike every semester or two than it is to take care of a $400 bike.
@@d.s.399 I've been greasing seatposts that go into steel frames for over 40 years and never had a post slip, I put a thin coating on both the post and the inside of the seat tube then slide them together and tighten, I redo the grease about every 2 years. I use to have a scandium (piece of junk frame material) that I did the same thing to and the post never slipped, I did it also to my titanium frame aluminium seatpost and it doesn't slip either (the reason I did the grease thing to AL and TI is to prevent the post from seizing, on steel and aluminum it was also about seizing but it also kept water from creeping down the post and into the frame where it could start the rusting process). Of course you can't use grease on carbon fiber because the seatpost will indeed slip with no way of tightening it enough to prevent it, and over tightening CF will cause the CF to crush.
It's important to ride your bike often. Bikes that live outside, even shitty ones that don't get taken care of, work better if they're ridden every day. It keeps the pawls moving, prevents rust from growing on non-moving cables, same for the bearings, prevents flat spots on the tires... ride your bike often.
I use bike as the main way of transport if im going to the bike park
My bike must be lucky. My daughter has recently moved to Ireland and now her room has become “the bikes room”. So no more worrying about rain or sunshine... 😊
Send ur wife to congo broh! More space for bikes!
@@adityawardhana6066 my wife is well and happy with me at home, thanks! ;)
@@adityawardhana6066 :-D
Lol, same. My daughter is away in college and her room is my bike's room. When she comes to visit i run around trying to find room for everything i store there.
Been there done that with the dry lube. It sucks. "Dry lube" is an oxymoron! You've just got to re-lubricate the chain frequently. I use 3-in-1 oil because it's cheap, and with my fancier bikes I wipe the chain and re-lube after almost every ride. All chain lubes get dirty, quickly, and you've just got to keep on top of it.
Also, this vid should give more detail about chain replacement. I always do it before .5% elongation. If you wait until it's at .5%, the new chain might not mesh with the smallest cogs for the first few hundred miles (after that the new chain begins to elongate and it will work fine until you want to replace it at .5%). I vote for cheap cassettes too, because you're inevitably going to miss the mark with chain replacement and ruin some cassettes.
Two Bikes! I rode an Olme Equipe 62mm from Dec 1997 - August 2019, over 27,000 miles on the same bike. Sure, I had to replace the fork when I ran it into the garage door while it was on top of the car, I replaced the seat post when the original one developed a burr that kept it from being adjusted easily, and I did go through numerous seats trying to find THE most comfortable one. Of course the chain got replaced every 1000 miles or so. I did upgrade the wheels, once, well, twice if you count when I finally went tubeless. Of course the tires were replaced in accordance with safety procedures, about one a year. Oh, and I did upgrade the components from Campy Veloce to Campy Super Record as a retirement present to my self. But other than those few things, I rode the exact same bike for 22 years. So there!
The best bikes always stay with us. Sounds like you've found your "forever" bike
Another easy thing to do is to take the time to check to see that the four main bearing sets on the bike are properly adjusted. Try wiggling each wheel side-to-side, while mounted in the frame, to check for hub looseness, and do the same with the cranks. There should be no sideplay. Move the chain off the chainrings & out of the way, and you can see if the crank rotates smoothly & doesn't have any sideplay. Check for excessive headset-bearing slack, by applying the front brake tightly, while rocking the bike as if to roll it back & forth on the ground. Suspending the frame so that the front wheel is off the ground will allow you to check for excessive headset tightness. To check for overtightened wheel hub bearings, you need to remove the wheels & spin the axles in your fingers. If the wheels are mounted onto the frame, it's next to impossible to detect overtightening, unless it's severe. You can also make the same checks on your pedal spindles. Hope these simple tips can help those who may not already know about them. I like this channel & feel a strong kinship with other viewers, so I'll add one bonus tip for not destroying your bike: Don't crash.
Good bonus tip 😉
Honestly Wet Lube works really well for dry conditions as well, been riding it on a XX1 Eagle drivetrain for 2 years with about 50-80km done per week (Chain cleaned with a dry rag after every ride). I would say if the terrain isn't that dusty, Wet lube actually makes a drivetrain more effective and less noisy more often than not! Just from my personal experiences riding in South Africa!
Second that. In the old days there even was no "dry" lube. I have been using my "Oil of Rohloff" for over a decade now for all conditions and never had any issues. Just wipe it after you lube it!
Yep, this right here.
Agree! I tried the dry lubes but they don't last and for someone who commutes 50kms a day, I just don't want to have to relube my chain that often. Wet lube does the job well and every weekend my bikes get a degrease and relube. I may be wrong but I thought my dry lube 'dried up' in the Summer heat this year (in Japan) - washed and lubed bike one day, two days later went for a ride and within 10kms the chain is creaking. Post ride I applied wet lube, the next day fine!
Absolutely correct.Dry lubes are all about visuals and aesthetics, but that's all. When it comes to lubricating moving metal surfaces then oil is king.
@@jonb77 when oil attracts grime, grime will kill your metal. I don't care what alloy it is, grime has higher hardness than it and will wear it out.
I live in the American South. It’s hot here. Really hot. Like Michelle Pfeiffer in “Scarface” hot.
I’ll likely ride tomorrow as the sun is coming up. It will be maybe 80F/26C with near 100% humidity. That means sweat. Lots of it.
After a ride like that, it is imperative that I wipe down the bike. Salt is the enemy of anything metal. So 5 minutes with a damp rag, followed by a dry rag makes a huge difference.
Peter Baskind same. Florida rides require a wipe down
@@matthewclaiborne229 I am SURE that's true.
In Texas you usually run out of sweat before you finish your ride. Seriously, I wipe down my bike after every ride and go over relubing chain amd derailleur.
In the summer I will sometimes go for a longer ride on one of my roadbikes and end up at work. In the dark of winter I would never commute on a road bike, but I do commute daily on an indestructible flat bar sport with discs and 35mm schwalbe marathons that has hit countless potholes in the pitch dark, been ridden through torrential downpours, and slithered through the snow and ice with no damage at all the last four winters. It may weigh 30lbs but that is a small price to pay compared to destroying thousands of dollars worth of decent road bike.
If you turbo train indoors, sweat/salt can cause your bolts and components to deteriorate over time if you don't wipe down afterwards.
I know several people who have ruined a good bike after a winter of training in the basement. They didn't think about washing their bike since they weren't outside and of course it was winter in Wisconsin!
@@robertthies9946 I'm one of them😄 When I first started out I took my bike to my mechanic after winter garage training and basically the stem bolts had carroded, beaerings in head tube replaced and saddle stem seized. Now I use a small towel over the bars/stem and wipe down with baby wipes after every session.
If you turbo train, a sweat guard or towel over your bike is an essential precaution to avoid salty sweat ruining your components. Why would not do it 😐
@@53glowe yes I have a use towel/fan and wipes now but 5yrs ago was just starting out and found out the hard way 🙄
Yep. I did some real damage by washing too much. Shortened life of some hub and bottom bracket bearings that way. By the way, I highly recommend paraffin wax chain lube. Very clean so you don't have to use harsh degreaser near sensitive components.
A big Hell Yes on the wax, all my bikes
@@KLottGolf Are you using it in liquid form, if so where do you get it?
Roger Taylor Jon did a video on it. You need a slow cooker or rice cooker. Also check out oz cycle channel. You need a mix of paraffin oil and paraffin wax to make it into an effective lube.
@@WaDeR22RT my local bike shop does it for me, I'm not sure on the details. Reedy Creek bicycles in Kingsport Tn. Great guys, give them a call.
Was trashing chains every 1000km using wet lube on my commuting bike, grit, sand etc. just formed a grinding paste.
Switched to paraffin wax, current chain has over 5000km on it and is not ready to be changed yet.
I'll never oil a chain again!
your average winter bike is my yearround dream bike
Potholes can damage your wheels and not oiling a chain is bad for it. Next week...when you cycle uphill it is harder work than the flat bits.
Chain lube. The part of the chain that needs lube is the part you can't see; its the pins that require lube the most. So if you have too stiff a lube, its not going to go where it is needed unless you heat it up. i just use tri-flo. Put it on the inside of the chain, spin the chain a few times then use a rag around the chain to remove the surplus.
Bikes need to be kept under cover, but they don't need to be in a heated space. Bringing a cold wet bike in winter into a heated space can invite all kinds of corrosion.
titanium is a great friend against corrosion. stainless if you're poor.
When I started riding bike in winter, mech in a bike shop advised me to use dry weather lube after each ride instead of wet weather lube which would attract more road grime and be harder to clean off. Positive aspect is I go through lube and buy more instead of having multiple bottles with ageing lube. Sure, winter rides should be relatively short so that lube lasts for a whole ride.
I've used dry lube all winter. It's OK as long as you re-apply each time after riding in the wet. And it attracts a lot less grit and grot, even in winter.
We're a big fan of this at GCN
Squirt is the best 😂🚴♀️
Been using Castrol GTX on my chains for the last 38yrs, ensures smooth operation, changes and long life!! To begin with my dad always had some in a can in the garage so I never needed to buy any but now I am grown up I have to buy a litre whenever needed, though it's cheaper than some of the modern funky lubes with the oh so expensive colourful packaging!! Re - grease wheel bearings, headset and for the traditionalist bottom bracket bearings every 2yrs whether they need it or not with quality GP grease. I think the biggest and most important thing for all weather bicycle longevity is mudguards.
I did this and found that dry lube was noisy after 20 miles each ride. Used to get on my nerves halfway through a ride. I switched back to wet lube. It was the muc off brand though and I've not tried any others. What one do you use? I did like the clean chain though I just admit
Cross chaining! Big/big, Small/small knackers the drive train all at once as well as losing watts..... 😱
True but big big loses very few watts and has some uses. Small, small... never.
@@bigring6424 There's a issue with big big. If your chain is a wee bit short the transmission can seize up when you shift to big big. Been there done that.
@Trek520, you're supposed to size your chain correctly of course, and check that it runs well and that the pulleys sit right in all gears, while hand cranking it on the stand. Stuff happens sometimes but if you're relying on never accidentally shifting into big big as your plan to keep from exploding your derailleur, I hope your wallet needs a little diet.
@@bigring6424 Very true. I fitted a "wall climber" 24T small ring and someone pointed out my chain was awful slack when using it. "Easy fix" thought I and took out a link. Everything seemed perfect until I was climbing the very busy Devil's Slide south of SFO and I accidentally shifted to big big... That's how you learn I suppose. Since then I've always made sure big big works with the bike on a stand!
This argument is somewhat obsolete. Back in the day, chains were much stiffer laterally than they are now. A test to see if the chain was worn out was if you could bend it sideways! Today’ a new chain freely bends more than a worn out chain from the 80’s.
They would be stressed by cross chaining, but the new ones not so much. Compact cranks take advantage of this to let you use more of the cassette without changing rings.
Recently my "winter bike" is an old road bike that stays on a trainer and Zwifts full time. Why suffer out in the cold and wet? I don't even ride my mountain bike in the cold anymore.
Great tips John. One I would add that is often overlooked, is a thorough cleaning of the braking services as well as the brake pads on rim brake wheelsets after a gritty, grimy winter's training ride. Sometimes a proper wash, will not get the grit off the brake pads, unless you take the wheels off and give them a stern talking too. In doing so, you will undoubtedly prolong the life of the rim braking service. Tks for the video John...very informative as usual and worth the watch 👍
Just applied thinned down chainsaw oil on chain for first time, will be intrigued how that does. May work out for winter
Pasdechevredreamer you will probably have an urge to cut some firewood as you crank along 🚴🏼👍😎
It works great and lasts a long time! Just wipe the chain down every ride to keep it clean.
" . . . You're going to end up wearing it out, pretty quick." Strong argument for a quality steel bike and hearty components, year around. Even when I was racing I never worried about "wearing it out". That was, in fact, my goal.
I learned about rough roads and pot holes in my younger years. They can give you a flat tire and a dent. Both are bummers. Went to tubular tires and paying attention to the road ahead. My Paris Roubaix tires where great on tough roads.
The stuff that comes on new chains is not a real lube, more of a preservative. It is a magnet for dirt. Clean that off and apply a real lubricant. It is always best to lube a clean chain. But if you can't clean it, lube it up anyway. Wipe away as much of the lube and visible dirt as you can. Lubed grime will not wear the chain as fast as dry grime. I am a chain waxer, all year and any conditions.
Great reminder from Boss Cannings to enjoying more miles with smiles
As a wrench in a very busy shop here are a couple. 1.Proper tire inflation. 98% of the bikes I service need air in the tires. 2. Scouring the brake surface on the rim and the face of the shoes themselves, if you have discs hit the rotors with a scotchbrite and even the faces of the pads with 180 sandpaper on a flat surface. Clean with alcohol. 3. Put some kind of rust inhibitor inside a steel frame, drill a very small hole (1/8") in the bottom of the bottom bracket. This will allow any moisture that makes its way into the frame to drain out.
Also: if you have rim brakes, fully clean the braking surface and pads to prolong the life of both (and improve overall braking performance). It's easier to do this after a wet ride, when any grime is loose and quicker to remove.
OK. I'm not on board with "don't wash it too much" without Si providing his counter-point. This segment needed TWO presenters. :P
Stopped the vid to bring me bike in
This is why I got a trek 820 for college and my road bike from the 80s for home. The trek 820 has more sealed components and my trek from the 80s is faster
GCN: "I'm sure you have more than one bike"
Me with one bike" >.>.
0:30 Not washing your bike
1:03 Washing too often
1:38 The wrong lube
2:43 Using the same bike all year round
3:16 Riding through holes
4:18 Ignoring wear and tear
4:57 Leaving it outside
A very important and often missed detail is Tyre pressure. Check the max PSI for your make of rim. We are often putting too much air into our wheels and that extra unneeded pressure could damage your wheel.
Here in Colorado they spray salt brine on the roads when it snows. Combine that with a sticky chain lube and you can guess the unfortunate outcome.
Didn’t wash my bike from April 2018 (Roubaix Challenge) till end of (August 2019). Like a new bike again! Imagine that!
It can’t only be me but I sort of enjoy seeing a reasonable (subjective) amount of dirt on the frame….sort of reminds me that I’ve done what I love and I’ve worked out! Dry and dusty Beijing necessitates a cloth over the chain and cassette every few rides, but excluding our ridiculous rainstorms, very few - I’d ever, deep cleans occur.
Splashing bike cleaning fluid around bearings (hub, bottom bracket and headset) is a sure fire way to knacker things prematurely, by destroying / removing grease...been there and done it!
... I learned "chain maintenance" from a friend who did "off-road motocross" ... I clean my chain religiously ... and use either Prolink or Rock-n-Roll chain lube. I apply it then using a rag I take off most of the excess. If I do not have some lil' spots on my chain-stay the chain is too dry. And my chains on my Domane 5.2 are lasting +7000 miles. Origonal sprockets after 10,000-12,000 miles. Note that I am not a "masher" ... all my bikes have a "triple" up front, so I sit on the seat a "spin". And I will never have a "Compact Double" ... on the new 12 speeds the chains are getting to thin/narrow to last very long too.
Once ruined a new set of Hed Ardennes on some Italian potholes on a downhill. Could have been avoided...
I have come across some rust on the head tube bearings after washing and tear down the fork for paint touch ups. I didn't pressure wash the bike but I did put more grease on the all the metal parts.
This video just saved my Peugeot vintage bike investments
Using worn out tools and doing up every screw super tight.
How did we miss those???
Or the wrong tools
Many of these comments are pure gold! 👍
Trying to get my partner to see the wisdom in me having multiple bikes after watching this. Not working so far...
I've never washed my bike with soap and a garden hose for fear of washing off the lubricants as stated, but also out of fear of introducing water where steel components live (like hubs, bottom bracket, and cable sleeves). Instead I wipe the frame set and other non-lubricated surfaces with a cloth wetted with a mild detergent and occasionally degrease and relubricate the cassette, chain, chain rings, and derailleurs. I repack the hub bearings roughly once a year and replace my sealed bottom bracket every several years. This routine has kept my 15 year old mid-grade bike running great and the paint still looks good. I don't anticipate any problem getting another five to seven years out of it. Maybe then it will become my winter bike.
I live in Los Angeles. . . What is a "winter bike?"
I live in the UK, what is a summer bike?
I live in Vancouver. What's dry? Seriously, used to commute year-round. Really fine water-borne road grit once caused my brake pads to wear right through my alloy rims.
@@johnspooner1403,
Ride a track bike (I refuse to say fixed gear).
I live in Florida, what is winter?
@@iamciril or even better, use disc brakes
After decades of riding and rebuilding the bike a few times as the drivetrain wore out (I'm talking 30,000 miles on a bike I bought in 1990) I bought a chain gage. Now, I replace my chain at the prescribed amount of allowable stretch, and my drive train continues to look great. At $10-$11 a chain, it is cheaper than chain rings and cassette. (Also, parts for the old bike are getting hard to find).
For people who don't want to watch the whole thing...
1. Not washing you bike enough
2. Washing your bike too much
3. Using the wrong lubrication/grease
4. Using the same bike all year round (poor-shaming)
5. Riding over potholes (duh?)
6. Ignoring wear and tear of individual components
7. Leaving you bike outside
Don't change gears while going up hill! Get in the correct gear before you get there. You can damage your chain and chain ring teeth by changing gear when pushing down hard on the pedals. If you have to change while going uphill, reduce load on the pedals momentarily.
Depends on the length of the hill
The advice is so simple but so helpful! Thank you 🙏
I use a paint brush first to remove the dirt then spray a liquid wax and water solution (Cheap diy quick wax spray)and polish with a microfiber towel.
Tip is to do it after every ride and not letting your bike get super dirty that you need a hose to clean it.
Depending on the quality of the bike! Don't let others ride your bike! Avoid rain if at all possible and become familiar with bike shops around your city, neighborhood etc, and look out for people that text and drive or cars parked on the street I've had close calls on car doors opening suddenly specially on downtown areas! Good video nice tips. Thank you!
Great advice!
I actually replace my chain very often, before they are good for replacement and keep them with me for a second round until everything really needs to be replaced, that has worked for me on my road and mountain bike, 5 years and still no cassette or chainrings replaced and everything working well
I'm pretty much a poster boy for how to maintain a bike without going bonkers over it. My last bike had chainrings that still looked almost new after 50,000 miles of use, and never once had any issues with squeaks, creaks, or anything wearing out faster than expected
The chain on the bike I ride (my dads bike) is 30 years old. The only things not original are the seat, tyres and inner-tubes (Oh, and a few spokes thanks to yours truly). They don’t make things like they used to...
Wax lube for all conditions. Easy.
watts comparison plz.
No, wax lube washes off fast in the rain, but will hold up in snow. What I've found in rainy situations, and this is going to sound weird to you all, but I had run out of wet lube and forgot to buy some but wanted to ride so I had a small can of sewing machine oil, so I used that! I was shocked to find out that it lasted as long as other wet lubes I was using during rain!! The other negative with wax lube is that it does not prohibit rust like regular bike lube does, whether rain or snow (once the snow melts it goes back to water of course) the water sets on the chain and starts rusting the chain, so you have to come home and hose your chain down with WD40 then clean that off and reapply the wax which I had to do anyway but used the WD40 to displace the water so the chain wouldn't rust as fast! No thank you.
@@frozerekmeyata4091 Here, durianrider mentions a wax lube that is not being washed under the rain: th-cam.com/video/msgJWEbPPyk/w-d-xo.html
Wax lube vs wax dip? I'll be testing it myself this winter having moved to a wetter climate recently. I've been using a wax dip for the past couple of years and I've been really happy with it
I always use a pressure washer to clean my bike. Done that for eleven years now and it's still fine. No more than normal parts replacement and maintenance. Just think about where to hold the nozzle a little further away...
One bike all year round, definitely not.. I use 3 bikes all year round (a comfortable toiring bike for travel to work, a road bike (all weather conditions) and a mountain bike) 😂
I've always understood the dry vs wet lube thing, but lately after reading sites about what lubes work at extending the life of your chain the discovery has been that wet lubes make your chain last longer than dry lubes even in dry climates, but it also meant that you will be cleaning your chain more often using wet lube. Any thoughts on this?
I never actually realised that wet and dry lube referred to the riding conditions. I thought it was just a property of the lube itself (obviously I wondered what on earth 'dry' lube could be!). I'm glad I watched this video!
Not watching GCN Tech will harm yourself, your bike and your mates••• 💪🏾👨🏾🔧
i wish i had seen this video when i got my first nice bike! i foolishly used it for work, (messenger) and didn't take very good care of it. i spent way more in maintenance than should have been necessary. but i've learned my lesson and have been very good with the current bike, which is also more appropriate for messenger work.
I use prolink chain lube. It doesn't attract dirt at all. I keep my bike in my spare room at home and I never wash it with water. I use window cleaner on rag from time to time. That's all. My 5 years old Canyon looks like new after 15 000 miles on sometimes very bad road surfaces.
Heading into the winter months on the trainer, Just had to put up a sticky note to remind myself to rotate the front wheel so I don't get a flat spot and to wipe the sweat off the bike so I don't corrode my frame away.
You may jest but I knew a guy who sweat onto his top tube so much he said he kept having to replace his shifter cable because his sweat corroded it. I can testify to the sweating I rode across the US with him but not the corrosion.
Is a winter bike a car?
@Mi Gi I have a Montague Paratrooper for the winter. My first winter I was not prepared for winter riding. Since then I have OMW boots, 45NRTH bibs, and lobster gloves. However, I am wondering what constitutes a winter bike.
Craigslist special 26" mountain bikes are winter bikes - alternately, any bike is a winter bike if you're brave enough.
@Mi Gi I live in Aurora, Colorado. It can take me as long as 40 minutes to travel three miles when the paths are icy. I should be winter tires, but I never do.
@@RoninCycling Schwalbe ice spiker tires made a huge difference to my winter commutes, having the confidence that you're not going to eat it on black ice makes the rides much more enjoyable.
Use car shampoo with wax, on the frame. It will protect the paintwork. Clean the chain regularly to get rid of the gunge, then a nice light coating of lubrication.
Hmmm, don't think I have to worry about winter in Florida. But I will start cleaning my bike more often by riding it in the rain then a good lube job. Always store my bike inside since watching GCN.
A chain and cassette usually wear as a pair, if you have replaced your chain and you have skipping gears then its a sign to get the cassette replaced aswell.
I always change cassette and chain at the same time. It never found it would work just changing one or the other.
Good tip, or is it just me running them both into the ground?
@@simonpowell2559 Its hard to say, it maybe you have worn both long enough to replace both on the spot as you said. i personally straight up replace both to avoid any hiccups, as ive replaced my chain and not the cassette once and the gearing just went out of whack. Im not too sure what the guys @GCN use to indicate the chain needs replacing.
@@TiberiusMoon They probably use this:
www.parktool.com/product/chain-checker-cc-4
@@simonpowell2559 Probably running both into the ground. I remember riding my bike and finding that whenever I put a lot of torque on the pedals the chain would skip. I measured the pitch of the chain and discovered it had stretched out of tolerance so I replaced it. The new chain wouldn't mesh properly with the cassette, so I also replaced the cassette and after that it was fine. This was a bike that I used as a daily commuter in fairly harsh conditions. I think the chain had likely been totally worn out for a long time, so this also destroyed the cassette. The lesson learned from this is to replace the chain on a fairly regular basis and you will be better off.
Riding one bike too consistently or all year round does not qualify as something which is ruining it. Obviously, the more something is used the more upkeep it requires. Different seasons/conditions/climates necessitate varying upkeep considerations. But, that isn't something that you are doing "wrong". Leave that non-point out and it's a great video!
Unfortunately, I have only 1 bike, can only afford the 1, financially & space-wise. I've also noticed all these videos have racing handlebars, (drops). My bike is a TREK FX1 Stagger Female, just straight. I've no choice but, to use it all year round. I wouldn't trust myself to do the clean myself, I'd rather pay to have it serviced by a professional. Good advice.
Always check tyre pressure before going for a ride, either low pressure or high pressure could lead to disaster if they are not properly set, so my question here how can we find the best tyre pressure ?
I live in new england,I ride a 2008 cannondale track year round,been doing it for years,except when there is two feet of snow
A clean bike is a happy bike!
How do I know what type Bike to buy for myself at age 73 and have rode a bike since I was 4 years old. Thank you for showing all of the things that can go wrong and how to prevent early or even damaging maintenance. ( :
How about changing gears while applying high pressure on the pedals?
When I was a new biker a few years ago I thought you wanted to shift up to a higher gear to go up and down to go down, so, as I’m standing up, pushing with all of my effort to climb a hill here in Chicago, I shift up. Chain goes flying off and I go flying forward. Never did that again.
Never hosed and will never use a jet wash. But wipe it down every ride and keep on top of the lube.
"Winter" is just a time of year in North Carolina. It's not like the roads are treated for snow more than twice a year. It's not like the grease isn't going to freeze at 45°F. So, have a dry weather bike and inclement weather bike.
This is a very interesting topic! In my case I ride an aluminium Trek road bike with S105 Shimano components and aluminium Vision wheels. Everything about the bike is about easy maintenance and reliability. I stopped using normal road tires and use Schwalbe Marathon instead. I barely wash it at all. I only brush off the dirt once it is dry. A dream bike for me. I think it runs for about 60000 km now at least and still am able to go really fast on it. Also need to replace the chain and cassette every 4000 km or so. But not much else. Especially the front tire lasts forever.
Changing the cassette every 4000km seems a little too expensive for me,at least with 10 or 11speed drivetrains, 9speed cassettes are available very cheap, if you don't care about their weight. Maybe you should change the chain earlier (depending on the conditions you ride in, but 4000km on road in good conditions is usually fine, IF you take care of your chain) in order to be able to use your cassette for 10000km and more.
@@chrisko6439 I noticed that the chain and cassette wear together such that by replacing only the chain leads to problems. It starts slipping teeth. Maybe you have a different experience? Also the chain gets quite a bit longer over time which means that the cassette wears accordingly.
@@hanskoot6254 The lengthening of the chain is the reason why you should replace it regularly. It is one of the main two reasons for the wear of the cogs and chainrings. (The other reason is dirt/not cleaning and relubing your chain.) Too measure the lengthening of the chain I use a chain wear gauge. If you keep your chain clean and replace it when it becomes too long, you can use the cassette for "ages" at least on a road bike. Mountainbike chains often get so dirty during one ride that the damage to the cogs is done before you can clean it after the ride.
I always do them together. Saves the guess work and faff. Pluss you get that "lovely new bike." Feel. Or maybe I just ride them to destruction.
Some people say to buy a new chain and cassette, and 3 more chains. Rotate the chains every 500 miles, and that way they all wear together, and then finally die together after many many miles.
An other way is to keep the chain on big cog or big chairing (or worse both) when you don't use it. It's better to keep it on small chainring-small cog in order to reduce tension on derailleurs.
Still using a 10 year old can of silicone lubricant spray4 exposed fittings, Bolts, cables, etc. Even good for steel frames. you can see it's going to work when you see the raindrops beading. on occasion have used spray Furniture wax from the dollar store. Even the smallest shop vac$30 on sale has a very powerful motor and reversible hose so it functions as a blower. more accurate and quicker than Rags for drying.
I have to say, all is good advise... I will add, for those who are obsessed with clean chains is to never ever use those ParkTool chain cleaners or apply any type of degreaser or solvents on your bike. Why? Because it dribbles off your chain, onto the cassette and into your free-body and rear hub bearings and ruins them causing the bearing to ride metal to metal in no time. Also it dribbles off the chain on to the C-Rings, down the spider and into your BB bearings and BINGO you just ruined your bottom bracket bearings too. I see this all the time at my shop when riders come with their spotless shiny bikes complaining that their bike is making loud clunking noises. I ask them "Wow that's one super clean drive train, how do you keep it so clean?" My heart sinks when they proudly replay "I use the Park Tool chain cleaner model bla, bla, bla". I then give them the bad news, most get angry at Park Tool saying "why do they sell that piece of $h!t if they know it ruins bikes!!!" After I replace their bearings I save their old rusted rusted bearings and explain how it happens. One customer came to pick up his bike and bought in his Park Tool cleaner, asked me for my largest hammer, went to the parking lot and smashed it to bits.
Ahh my bike is kept safe and tucked away in my bedroom. No other place it would be subjected to harsh elemnts or people. 💕
So no other people in your bedroom then? Not sure I’m prepared to go to those lengths to protect my bike.
Not having proper air pressure in the tyres -> more likely to have a falt...
Check your dropout alignment... And if possible put new one when this is not straight... As they are normally made of aluminium so the more you correct it bending it, the more likely it is to break...and when it does, it can cause serious about damage on your derailleur and wheels...
Don't ride with your inner tube valve twisted... You may get a flat that is not repairable with a patch.
Hum can remember more...the rest is a bit too technical to the majority of people:)
The caveat to your winter rules is that it only applies to those folks living in places with puss weather during winter.
Or Asian countries with the dreaded rainy or "monsoon" season. I have a nice bike for fair weather and a monsoon bike for July-October.
I've only one bike, so yeah, year round. Maybe GCN will give me a high-end, fair weather bike. I'm happy to accept GCN branding. :)
The joys of living somewhere where I have to ride on wet roads... All I ever do is use a damp rag and wipe my bike down and it's completely clean (aside from full on cleaning the chain of course).
Useful tips indeed. 😊 👍 ❣️
Wipe down the bike after a ride in the rain or a wash. Make sure the bike is dry.
Dry? What, with a hair dryer? That's a lot of electricity, seeing like 155 days of rain in Manchester or Portland, Oregon (my cycling city)
@@singlespeedchronicles7640 Completely dry would always be perfect (I collect vintage bikes and the best examples always come from Italy, California and the like for good reason). If indoors is not possible then a tarpaulin or plastic sheeting will greatly help even if the bike is not completely dry. I didn't realise the North West had so much rain. A good friend of mine who lives in Coquitlam, just outside Vancouver, thinks that the weather there is the same as Cambridge, UK (where I am) - time to put him right!!!
@@singlespeedchronicles7640 air compressor and, if you live in a swamp, a heat gun, I suppose.
5:06 leaning your bike aigenst a ruff wall can damage youre saddel , your bartape and teh rubber on the shifters
Not if you lean the rear wheel against the wall.
I only wash my bike frame when Im bored with its look & I take it apart to sell Frameset... 2/3 times a year 😝...
Riding your bike prematurely wears it out. If it was left inside in a cupboard with the chain well lubed and the tyres mildly deflated it will last forever. Think smart :D
Just ride your bike when you want and replace what needs replacing when it needs replacing.
I want to buy a new bike
1. Orbea orca aero
2. Cannondale systemsix
Both ultegra di2
The question is should i buy tze orbea because it has the cheaper wheelset or should I buy the cannondale which already has a good wheelset ?
Both bikes are in my price range but is there a possibility that the better wheelset on the cannondale wears off faster than the cheaper one on the orbea ?
Funnily enough, I'm thinking of making my winter bike my all round bike, selling my summer aero bike and just running seasonal wheelsets...
The way the roads are around here it is pretty easy for me to believe that if we didn't have potholes we wouldn't have any roads at all. My grandfather used to say "they need to put a bridge over it" about some of the same potholes that still exist 50 years after his passing. My point is if you are going to ride a bike where I live you better be prepared for premature wear.
Thats a great phrase to describe the size of the potholes
What about Cross Gear? The chain not pararel....
Fascinating video as usual!
I remember when my personal mechanic used the wrong lube on the chain on my bike.... It caused nasty dry metallic noises and ruined the chain after a few kilometers.