Maintenance and life span of bike

[Simon Chittick]

Hey.
I know this is kind of an open question but i have just started cycling again after a break of a few years.
Bought a bike from a cycle to work scheme 6 months ago. First bike had problems so was replaced after a month.
My current bike is back in for a 6 month service but i have been told that the back wheel needs to be replaced and the main chain ring is excessivly worn. The store has told me is down to me not cleaning the bike and that is causing the problem. The bike gets cleaned and re greased about once a month, using oil recommended by the store. I cycle about 8 miles a day, fairly flat route the whole way, in all weather, and have only been out on 1 or 2 long rides since i got the bike. The bike get stored inside my flat at night and stored in a basement car park at work.
Is it common or normal for a bike to wear out this quickly? I have a friend who has an older model of my bike, its about 3 years old and he admits he does very little maintenance, hardly ever cleans it and has had no issues with it at all. The only thing he has replaced is break pads.
Any help or advise is appriciated.
Thanks

 

[JasonHolder]

Buy cheap buy twice

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

What is the bike's make and model?

Regarding the chainring, it is very unusual for it to be worn before the chain and cassette. Don't expect the teeth to all look the same - it is not unusual for numpties even ones working in shops to think a couple of pointy ones meant the ring is worn - many are designed to be that way even when new. Perhaps you can post some large detailed photos of the teeth profile here.

Wheel, don't know what is supposedly wrong with yours. IF properly set up and maintained most can last much much longer than 6 months 2000 miles, but that is a big if. IME stock wheels on many new low/medium cost bikes are badly set up when new, typically with cup and cone bearing preload set too high and spoke tension set too low. Couple that with a heavy rider a rear wheel can bite the dust in weeks let alone months. For those wheels unless they were properly retuned when new they can become losing economical battles to maintain later.

One way of looking at it, is if you have to spend £100 after 2000 miles for parts and maintenance, it is still only 5p a mile.

Just my 2p.

 

[Fab Foodie]

What bike is it?
Do you run all the chainring across all the rear cogs?
How do you clean the chain?
What's wrong with the rear wheel?

 

[Simon Chittick]

Its a Boardman 2014 Comp Hybrid. (from that you can guess who supplied the bike!!) I have heard of some stories about how bad they can be at building/ setting up bikes. The problem is because it is still under warranty i have to keep taking it back to them.

The chain has begun to slip alot, espically if i try and take off in a high gear and put alot of pressure on the pedals. I dont know if this is a result of the chain ring or the rear wheel. The bike is currently away being serviced, so if they dont change the chain rig ill post some pics when I get it back.

I havent got a detailed fault for the rear wheel. just had a voicemail from them earlier today saying that i had 'worn it out and will do it again if i dont clean it more'. Im not a 'big rider'. Im 5'7" and 73kg.

For cleaing the chain, the store recommended Muc-off and a brush to clean it off.

Thanks for the help guys.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Sounds like a worn chain. Depending on how worn it's likely that the chain-rings and cassette might also be worn. There comes a point where you can't put a new chain onto old rings because of the amount of wear on rings and cassette. It's possible the shop is right.
So, you may have to bite the bullet this time.
BUT
You can improve.
First .... ditch the Muck-Off and any other degreaser/solvent/WD40 on your chain. Use the Mickle Method ... wipe lube wipe lube wipe.
Second, get a chain-checker and frequently replace the chain ... cheap KMC ones are fine.
Get detailed info about what's wrong with the wheel? Wheels on Boardman's are usually pretty good.

Wheel and drive-train maintenance is fairly easy and for a heavy use/commuting bike is something that needs to be done regularly and with the right techniques.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

As @RecordAceFromNew (good estimate on distance) says the front chainrings are unlikely to be worn, mine have done well over 8,000 miles and while showing some signs of wear (on the middle ring) are still good for a while longer yet.

Gears dont slip because of a slightly worn chainring, they slip because of a worn chain/cassette or if new the gear cables may just need adjusting as they stretch a little (but at aprrox 2,000 miles they should have already been adjusted for this) and it only takes a little for the adjustment to go out resulting in the R.D. trying to put the chain on one gear (higher gear/less teeth due to less cable tension) when it should be in the one lower, this usually results in a chattering of the gears, and can lead to what maybe inadvertent slippage of the gears as it will sometimes change when you dont expect it to.
If both chain and cassette are worn they will have worn together so should be a match and at 2,000 miles I would have thought them to be ok, and possible only the chain would need changing, it would need to be really badly maintained otherwise and even then I see some right badly maintained bikes and they seem to be fine, mind you possible not the mileage you are doing.
If it slips in certain gears i.e. somewhere in the middle of the cassette but not at the low or high end, it is likely the cassette is worn, but this would only normally show up with a new chain (as mentioned they wear together).

I get up to 5,000 miles out of a chain/cassette I would get more on the cassette but the bike has gone through different setups in the last 2 years. from 7 to 8 to 9sp I have covered the best part of 12,000 miles on two chains in the last two years, and whilst the 19th on the cassette was worn (most common used) it didn't slip because of wear, most problems I had/have is adjustment. I also find a new cassette actually needs a little bedding in to, but maybe thats just me.

 

[NormanD]

Increase your bike maintenance from once a month to once a week on a bike that's used every day, as road grit on other bits will wear out your drive system quicker than taking a file to the parts yourself. A suggested use the mickle method of chain cleaning and try to keep the parts as dry as possible I.E: not gunked up with thick oil or grease as this will trap grit and act as a grinding paste.

Keep a check on the brake pads too, as even a little bit of grit contaminant stuck on the contact surface will grind away your wheel rim reducing it's life considerably.

I wash my bike down after every ride, if the conditions I've been riding in are wet and check it over every Sunday and mickle the chain and clean the drive system, every six weeks I do a complete service, that's a full strip down, chain removed, degreased, cleaned, re-lubed and fitted back to the bike again after I've done a check and clean of the cassette and chain rings (check for damage and wear) ..
I inject some oil into the cables and check the wheels for alignment and spoke tension along with the tyres for damage. Every item on the bike is checked and serviced if need be, you might think this is a little excessive, but my bike is over two years old, done many miles on all sorts of surfaces and hasn't needed a part replaced yet (touch wood)

 

[Peter T]

My chainrings wore out after about 5000 miles and it was my first road bike. I think the biggest cause was not understanding how to use gears and cross-over during my early days. Crossover occurs when using either the big ring with the biggest cogs on the cassette or vice versa the small ring with the smallest cogs. This causes chain stretch and excessive wear of the drive train components. You can tell when the chainrings are worn as the teeth look sharp like sharks teeth and the chain slipage occurs on the front cogs rather than the rear cassette. I agree with cleaning, the gunk that builds up is like sandpaper grinding away the components. My view is either maintain very regularly or use cheaper components and be prepared to replace. Many people have a 'winter bike' for that exact purpose with a cheaper setup because lifestyles make it difficult to have the time to do the regular cleaning. Chainrings are expensive yet a Tiagra chainset can be bought complete for £47 at Ribble which is around the same price as the replace chainrings and is a piece of cake to replace. I try to keep my expensive weekend bike immaculate but the commuter/winter bike gets less regular maintenance. I just do not have the time.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

I only have the one bike Chain rings in excess of 10,000 miles 3 chains in two years (last because of upgrading from 8 to 9sp, April this year), likewise the cassette, the last pair 5,000 miles or there about's, Just changed the middle chain ring for a 40th from 42th, trying different gearing and whilst the old one shows sign of wear it's still a few thousand more miles in it.
Just clean when you can, lube and clean of the chain if riding in wet weather, and good clean of the chain every month or so.

 

[arch684]

I bought a carrera vanquish from that company. The red and black model with carbon forks. they said it was old stock and it was half price.they said that because it had been in the storeroom for awhile the would give it a service and fit a new chain. the first time out on it the gear change was terrible and the chain was slipping they had taken the new chain out of the box and fitted it without bothering to measure it. I removed four links and indexed the gears and it was fine. never been back since

 

[Smokin Joe]

The store you bought the bike from (We know who they are) are talking out of the wrong hole. Find a decent specialist shop and get it serviced there.

 

[Profpointy]

This is a fairly modest mileage, and only roads, rather than muddy mountains or whatever, so a monthly clean and fettle as you've described sounds ample. I'd not have expected much to have gone wrong in the timescale you mention providing it's a basically OK bike to start with - say more than a couple of hundred quid's worth. Now a wheel might have been buckled over a kerb or whatever but not the whole bike half-shot.
These folks diligently cleaning and drying every ride is all very worthy and so say "a good thing", but hardly essential.
Maybe it just needs a proper fettle and everything adjusted - perhaps a proper bike shop if you can't DIY