My first road ride!

[Mrbez]

Hi Guys,


I have got home earlier from my first ever road ride on a road bike.


I did a 15.2 mile run in just under 52 minutes. I hit 33mph on a hill which I thought was amazing, until I realised I had to climb this hill when I turned back around!! Haha.


I completed this on my new Cannondale Synapse and absolutely loved every minute of it.


As this is my first run since I picked it up yesterday, should I lube the chain now?


Thanks, and happy mileage!

 

[superbadger]

Put a little bit on but i wouldn't go OTT ... Just use your own judgement i guess; Nice bike by the way

 

[HLaB]

Nice one Mrbez. With your chain it depends really what you have on it and what conditions it was exposed to, if in doubt though a little lube won't hurt, I like to clean the chain if I'm relubing it though.

 

[Fifelad]

Great feeling your first ide on a proper road bike !

 

[Tyke]

Well done, road riding can be a lot of fun, but it can also be very addictive.

 

[Mrbez]

I covered all dry miles today, conditions were nice.

When cleaning the cleaning the chain, do I need to use any certain substances on it?

I am living in an apartment at the moment, so maintenance and cleaning etc should be fun!

 

[HLaB]

I covered all dry miles today, conditions were nice.

When cleaning the cleaning the chain, do I need to use any certain substances on it?

I am living in an apartment at the moment, so maintenance and cleaning etc should be fun!

Baby wipes are your friend, I moved out of my apartment but they make cleaning without too much mess possible. Just backpedal the chain through the wipe and if you are particular like me feed it through the individual links :-)

 

[superbadger]

And use the baby wipes like a 'shoe shine' inbetween your cogs for a good finish. Cotton buds are good for that area too..

 

[Mrbez]

Thanks guys.

So once I use the baby wipes, do I just then apply some lube to the chain and back pedal through a cloth?

Also, do I apply lube to the cogs or any other parts?

Do I need to do anything else different if I ride in the wet?

Thanks.

 

[HLaB]

Just apply a wee drop of lube at a time to the chainlinks with it soon gets around to the chainrings/ cassette/ jockey wheels.

Edit: If you ride in the wet you just have to clean it a bit sooner, which is easier said than done when you get in soaked and knackered, it the last thing on my mind

 

[Mrbez]

Thank you

What about the brakes and shifters, do I do anything with them?

Is it worth buying a small chain brush?

 

[HLaB]

Thank you

What about the brakes and shifters, do I do anything with them?

Is it worth buying a small chain brush?

If they are kept clean you don't really have to do much to them if you feel like they may be developing problems a small bit of lube to the cable usually helps and perhaps the pivot points (but be careful not to contaminate you pads/rims).

I don't really use my brushes these days and use baby wipes instead but buying one wont do any harm.

 

[superbadger]

No don't do the cloth method to lube. I tell you what i do and its fine and works . Others may post different ways but its preference and what works best for you,but they will all be tried and tested so they all good....

I use normal bike oil and i drip it on the back cogs whilst back-pedaling covering the chain and all the cogs in oil. Then i take the bike out for a ride and go through every gear so as to make sure all the oil has been dispersed evenly. If its a wet day then as stated by HLaB clean your chain with babywipes when you get back. When i know its going to be a wet day/days/weekend/OK MONTH I wipe the excess oil off the chain and use a bit of spray oil instead. At this time of year(autumn) every bit of dead leaf will stick to oil like a magnet.... Just keep on top of it and it be ok; When the GF watches B-Factor i suddenly want to clean my chain.

 

[Globalti]

Ordinary oil isn't a very good idea; it's sticky so it picks up dirt and the chain gets filthy. Something light like Finish Line is best, use it only occasionally and keep the chain on the dry side. You will hear and feel the grit that gets into the chain if you twist it between your finger and thumb. I take mine right off and clean it in white spirit every couple of months then dry it overnight and re-lube lightly with Finish Line. I aim to have the chain leaving a grey mark on my skin but not building up black paste on the cogs. I clean the cassette by sitting with the wheel on my lap and running the edge of an old towel between the cogs sawing it back and forth so that the cassette rotates one way.

 

[Mrbez]

Sorry for the misunderstanding. The oil I am talking about is the finish line wet lube in the small green bottle. I bought this when I bought the bike.