Do you leave well alone?

[Bodhbh]

I can't leave the setup of bikes alone, there always seems to be something that could be changed. It's a weakness but I'm happy to roll with it. So I don't bother messing about checking bearings as things are liable to change before they wear out anyhow.

 

[Smokin Joe]

The bike will tell you when it needs attention. If something starts to wear it will either squeak, rattle or creak. I'm fanatical about having my bikes running perfectly, but apart from cleaning I do no maintenance till they need it.

 

[si_c]

The bike will tell you when it needs attention. If something starts to wear it will either squeak, rattle or creak. I'm fanatical about having my bikes running perfectly, but apart from cleaning I do no maintenance till they need it.

Same here, moment I get a rattle squeak or grinding noise I'll put the bike up in the stand.

 

[fossyant]

Regular service. Your headset and miche hubs have cartridge bearings so no big deal to pop the seals off with a pin and check the state of them. Did this recently with a GXP B& and hubs on my MTB. The GXP was ok but lacking in decent grease. Better off preventative maintenance. PS you won' be able to do anything with the BB on your fixed as it' likely a square taper sealed unit.

 

[Slick]

Regular service. Your headset and miche hubs have cartridge bearings so no big deal to pop the seals off with a pin and check the state of them. Did this recently with a GXP B& and hubs on my MTB. The GXP was ok but lacking in decent grease. Better off preventative maintenance. PS you won' be able to do anything with the BB on your fixed as it' likely a square taper sealed unit.

Guy in my Lbs told me not to bother greasing cartridge bearings?

 

[DCBassman]

Leave well alone. Then go mad once every few years and fiddle with everything. Then spend a year fettling it back to exactly where it would have been if you'd never touched it.

 

[Racing roadkill]

Guy in my Lbs told me not to bother greasing cartridge bearings?

Normally once you get the seals off of cartridge bearings, it’s never going to reseal to factory tolerance, and if you do service them, it’s a rapid slippery slope until they die, so cartridge bearings are normally run until they’re knackered, then chucked, and replaced, rather than serviced.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Normally once you get the seals off of cartridge bearings, it’s never going to reseal to factory tolerance, and if you do service them, it’s a rapid slippery slope until they die, so cartridge bearings are normally run until they’re knackered, then chucked, and replaced, rather than serviced.

^^This^^

They're sealed for a reason.

 

[Tim Hall]

Move things like seat posts, quill stems, pedals once a year to stop them siezing into place.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

They are perfect still, so is the headset and bottom bracket.
Do you take apart and re grease stuff even when it continues to work perfectly and doesn't show any signs of wearing out? Or, do you leave well alone?

OK, I put it to you like this; would you keep driving your car with the same oil in the engine that it came with new, all the time the engine is running smoothly?
I change my engine oil once a year, which generally means it gets changed about every 4,000 miles - not wait until it starts making funny noises before I do any maintenance! Performing a once a year stripdown and regrease regime for the 4 bits of a bike that contain serviceable ball bearings is hardly an onerous task.

 

[gbb]

If I'm in the mood, I'll strip anything and everything just to clean, lube and inspect.
Hubs, remove seals on sealed cartridge bearings, clean and relube . BB cups ditto. Cup n cone hubs strip, clean, lube and adjust generally once a year. Forks out, inspect the steerer, lube bearings if accessible.
I like to play with stuff.

 

[raleighnut]

I generally take at least one bike completely apart every year although I do a lot less mileage since my fall. This year the Trike needs a major overhaul.

 

[Drago]

Guy in my Lbs told me not to bother greasing cartridge bearings because he'd like to keep selling us new ones.

FTFY.

 

[Slick]

FTFY.

Seems there's at least a couple of people on here agree with him though.

 

[Drago]

Clever folk don't use cartridge bearing hubs in the first place.