# Poll - how often do you service your bike?



## TonyEnjoyD (18 Mar 2012)

My last new thread triggered a rare train of thought in my otherwise vacuous head - - - how often do others service their bikes.

When I say service, I mean a walk, chain de-grease, regrease/oil drive-train, even clean and re-grease hubs and bearing where not sealed.
This is as well as readjust cables and tune up the indexing etc?

Personally, about monthly unless some serious miles planned or more frequent for basic clean and oil up.
I only do the bearing and cable adjustment about quarterly.


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## HovR (18 Mar 2012)

Drive chain generally gets cleaned weekly - after the drive chain is cleaned I'll take a brief look over the bike for any prominent issues. Generally speaking the bikes get a proper look over fortnightly.

Any non urgent issues discovered in riding will be fixed after the weekly chain clean (brake adjustment etc). Any urgent issues discovered in riding will be fixed the same day, else I stop using the bike until I get it fixed.

Hubs come apart every 1000 to 2000 miles, depending on weather and other factors, for a re grease.

I try to stick to this routine.. Doesn't always happen!


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## gavintc (18 Mar 2012)

The weather in italy is much kinder and the bike needs less maintenance here than in UK. I find that I only need to give it good going over about once a month. In UK, I was doing this weekly. Water, especially diluted road muck seems to get into everything in UK demanding much more attention. Warmish weather and much less drizzle type rain means that I am cycling in dryer conditions. But, when it rains here - it rains - making it almost impossible to cycle and I have become a fair weather cyclist.


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## Smokin Joe (18 Mar 2012)

Never.

As soon as anything even begins to go out of adjustment it is attended to.


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## ianrauk (18 Mar 2012)

Smokin Joe said:


> Never.
> 
> As soon as anything even begins to go out of adjustment it is attended to.


 

Yup, the same for me.
Have no set time for servicing.


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## dave r (18 Mar 2012)

I never do a full service, the fixed is normally in daily use and gets checked over once a week, if I find something that needs doing I'll do it there and then, if I cant do it there and then I'll do it as soon as possible. The geared bike usually gets used on summer Sundays only and will be checked before it gets put away and I'll get anything done that needs doing.


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## Gary E (18 Mar 2012)

Yep, same as above.

So never - or constantly, depending on how you look at it


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## TheDoctor (18 Mar 2012)

I Mickle the chain when it looks like it needs it, tweak the indexing as required, change the cables when and if I think of it, clean it when it's filthy, etc. The only thing I regularly check are the brake blocks.
Only time I'll give it a full service is if I'm off on a trip, and even then I might not bother if nothing's actually wrong. I am pretty confident in my ability to fix anything by the side of the road if I have to though.


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## palinurus (18 Mar 2012)

Depends.

'cross bike: quite often. Parts often get replaced or fail.

TT bike: rarely, apart from cleaning and a checkover/ lube from time to time. Hardly use the brakes on it so it's still on the same blocks that were on it when I bought it in 2008 or something.

Commute bike: when it needs it, which is fairly frequently- although I tend to do a big service before the winter and another in the spring.


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## Part time cyclist (18 Mar 2012)

Same as every one else if it ain't broke don't fix it.... I give it a regular clean up and oil the chain up regularly but just fiddle and fettle when it's needed...


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## MontyVeda (18 Mar 2012)

every six months when the creaking, squeaking of clicking gets too annoying


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## guitarpete247 (18 Mar 2012)

Probably not as often as I should but I try to re-grease bearings once a year. I look at sorting out problems as and when the show and look into creaks and other noises. I check tyres before and after rides for damage or flints/thorns. Chain gets checked from time to time, again not as often as I feel I should.


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## Jonathing (18 Mar 2012)

Things get adjusted as they need it, the drive train get cleaned when I remember to do it and major works get undertaken when the LBS has a discount on workshop services.


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## Nigel-YZ1 (18 Mar 2012)

Service?


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## GetAGrip (19 Mar 2012)

I keep the chain mickled after most rides and twiddle what ever is necessary as needed, with a good overall clean and polish at least twice a week.
An annual service in LBS for a good stripping and greasing will be the way to go for me (for now anyway)


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## ushills (19 Mar 2012)

Chain wiped with baby wipes if raining or muddy, bike rinsed also, full wash weekly.

Other stuff when it needs it, recently done rear wheel bearings as a bit noisy or gears when they go out a bit.


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## mickle (19 Mar 2012)

I sort out problems as they occur. So I very rarely do a 'service'.


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## GrumpyGregry (19 Mar 2012)

chain mickled once a week. 'M' check every time I ride. Other stuff attended too as it comes up. No set schedule and I try to avoid the bike going into the LBS's if at all possible.


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## mickle (19 Mar 2012)

Uncle Mort said:


> That's what I thought "only when it stops working" meant - doh!


 
My favourite answer to the question; 'When should I oil my chain?' is; 'Just before it starts squeaking'.

The OP's question is a very interesting one and the answer lies somewhere between riding your bike into the ground and only fixing things when they fail, and replacing all the components on the bike every two weeks.

With chains, sprockets and rings, cables, rims and blocks it's pretty easy to know when to replace them, since their wear rates are predictable and easy to monitor, but bearings? Without opening them it's hard to see how they are getting on. And you'd better know how to put them back or you can create more trouble than you fix. It's why grease ports are such a great idea. If you're an obsessive furtler like me your bikes wont get much of a chance to seize up, but one of the essential tasks is fixture maintenance - nuts and bolts, skewers and seatposts need to be checked for corrosion and greased up every time you move them, or at the very least, annually. Which is why stainless steel is such a good idea for nuts and bolts.

As for the rest of the bike, if it aint broke...


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## Rickshaw Phil (19 Mar 2012)

Like others on here I don't have a set service schedule but constantly fettle and tinker to keep them running nicely. So, the bearings don't feel as smooth as I'd like = strip, clean, lubricate.


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## youngoldbloke (19 Mar 2012)

TonyEnjoyD said:


> My last new thread triggered a rare train of thought in my otherwise vacuous head - - - how often do others service their bikes.
> 
> When I say service, *I mean a walk*, chain de-grease, regrease/oil drive-train, even clean and re-grease hubs and bearing where not sealed.
> This is as well as readjust cables and tune up the indexing etc?


 Yes ...... but what do you mean?


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## sdr gb (19 Mar 2012)

My LBS which I bought my new bike from offers free servicing for life on all bikes bought from them. You have to take it in every 6 months for them to check it over an they will re-lube parts, true wheels, index gears, etc for free. All you need to pay for is any parts that need replacing.

My older bike gets serviced by me when I feel something needs doing. I don't have a set schedule.


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## Speedywheelsjeans (19 Mar 2012)

Every week I clean the drive train and re grease it, tighten cables and check for wear. If anything is squeaking I'll apply some grease and or check torque settings on bolts, if creaking/squeaking remains I will pull it apart and find the cause. I check my tyres for foreign bodies and check the wheels are true. I rotate all bearing parts and feel for bearing tight spots, if all is okay I clean it with a wet cloth and polish it up with a dry one.


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## Davidc (19 Mar 2012)

Mickle the chains once every few weeks or after any filthy ride.

Never service the bikes, but do check chain wear, hub bearings, headset, bb etc. about once a month and take action only if it's needed.


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## steveindenmark (19 Mar 2012)

I am like everyone else. I meddle very little with it day to day and that seems to keep it right.

That is obviously working on the well known addage "If it aint broke, dont fix it".

Steve


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## TonyEnjoyD (19 Mar 2012)

youngoldbloke said:


> Yes ...... but what do you mean?


Blooming auto text on the iPad! Was supposed to read WASH!


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## TonyEnjoyD (19 Mar 2012)

Glad to see I'm not the only monthly servicer.
Amazing how many have answered never or only when it breaks down!!!


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## deptfordmarmoset (19 Mar 2012)

I answered ''when it breaks down'' but often it's ''just before it breaks down.''


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## TonyEnjoyD (20 Mar 2012)

deptfordmarmoset said:


> I answered ''when it breaks down'' but often it's ''just before it breaks down.''


Ah, but how do you know it's about to break down?


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## RaRa (20 Mar 2012)

I'm ashamed to admit I don't know how to service my bike, I can degrease and oil the chain and thats about it. I do polish the frame with baby wipes if that counts


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## Moodyman (20 Mar 2012)

The commuter gets stripped, cleaned and re-greased every September. All the nuts and bolts cleaned, re-greased and re-installed one at a time. Takes about 2-3 hours.

Hubs serviced annually, bearings replaced every two years.

Drivetrain cleaned & lubed weekly.

Other bikes as and when needed


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## TonyEnjoyD (20 Mar 2012)

RaRa said:


> I'm ashamed to admit I don't know how to service my bike, I can degrease and oil the chain and thats about it. I do polish the frame with baby wipes if that counts


No shame there RaRa.
I went in an Edinburgh Cycles advanced one day course for £45
Best money I ever spent - saved me a fortune and unmeasurable time wasted twiddling n getting nowhere.


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## Matthew_T (20 Mar 2012)

I think it depends on the circumstances of using your bike. If you are going down muddy trails, you might want to clean it weekly. But if you are on the road, monthly?

I would say monthly but as I am not the most mechanically minded, I have never taken a wheel, or hub apart. The most I have done is change a rear cassette and change about 50 innertubes (damn p*nctures).
I went to my local LBS to find out about my rear wheel (has a bit of play in it). The very helpful guy there suggested that I ensure the bolts are correctly tightened, and if there is a fault with the wheel, possibly get a new hub instead of a wheel.I am going to try this at the end of the week.


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## Camrider (20 Mar 2012)

A full service for me means a change of oil in the Rohlhoff hub, so its going to be around the time 5000km have been ridden which at the current rate will be 9 months between services, but minor fettling in between when required.

Can't answer the poll as its longer than 3 months but less than never


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## Cubist (20 Mar 2012)

Yep, just keep everything checked every ride, and adjusted, cleaned, swapped as soon as it needs it.


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