What are some good,proper maintenance tips for my new mountain bike???

Question

First:What type of lube is good for the bike chain,plus some detail about ? and the ten is yours my friend...thank you...tom science

Answer 1

The main tip: A clean bike is a happy bike.

Learn the proper way to clean a bike (hint: the pressure washer at the car wash ain't it), and keep it clean especially after nasty muddy/dusty/wet off road rides.

Keep the chain cleaned and lubed (there are lots of good chain lubes, I won't get into the religious warfare there).

While you're cleaning, inspect the frame and components for cust, cracks, bends, scratches, bulges etc that shouldn't be there. Catch problems on the washing stand instead of on the trail.

Pay attention to your "consumables" mainly tires and chains - they wear fastest and take a lot of abuse, inspect them regularly.

See you on the trail
Scott

Answer 2

If you've just bought the bike, after a few rides go to your bike store for a tune up. They should check that every thing's as it should be, the tires are true.

When riding on a dry weather, the maintenance is pretty easy. Just make sure that the chain is lubed (you have to first remove the old grease, you can do that with WD-40, just don't spray on the derailleurs, and then apply new lube, rotate the cranks and remove the excess grease).

On rainy weather it's harder, since you will probably need to clean your bike more thoroughly. Don't spray water directly at the bottom bracket (where the cranks are), the headset, where the seat post joins the frame, or the hubs.

You can look at http://www.sheldonbrown.com/ for more info.

A trick I use to get less pinch flats, or snakebites, is use baby powder in the tires, between the tube and the tire. A snakebite is a puncture or flat created by the rim biting the tube, and it usually shows as two holes in your tube, hence the name, snake bite.

Keep the bike dry as much as possible, the chain greased (on dry season, maybe every 3 or 4 rides, on rainy weather, after each ride), and do a periodic check of the components every once in a while.

Answer 3

Okay bike care 101 has begun please be seated there really is not alot to proper maintenance common sense will be your friend keep the bike clean that means if you go out in the rain hose the bike down and more importantly dry it (don't forget the rims the black crap that builds up on them will chew your rims up alot faster) only oil the chain when it is dry when it starts to look like science fiction clean it . the best lube i have come across in 15 years in the industry is triflow (Teflon based)(your gonna get tons of different answers on that one the ignorant ones will tell you Phills (slows down your shifts significantly) and roadies will tell you its white lightning or some other crazy wax lube....and the fact remains triflow is still the best.

Answer 4

Clean and lube your chain. I like TriFlow for sheer slippery lubrication. ProLink is a tad more slippery and sheds dirt after a couple of applications. I don't like White Lightning, not slippery at all.

Answer 5

whatever you do make sure to wash it after rides that are dusty or muddy...so basically any type of ride that makes the frame, rims, chain, etc. dirty
sorry im not too sure about lubes

Answer 6

i use triflow too after using white lightning - use too much and it cloggs/builds up yer chain. but yes, a clean chain is very important. i also use stuff called GT-85 for lots of moving parts, its almost like wd-40. it rocks though. ive also used basic degreasers found at auto parts stores for grunge buildup.