Newbie Maintenance Guide?

[Too Tyred]

As part of my new renaissance into cycling I want to keep my bikes in much better condition than I did in my younger days to make it last as long as possible, especially as it has been sat unused for a long time.

I've been watching GCN videos out of interest on how to properly clean your bike (I noticed my chain was filthy and still is after a 'clean'), sort gearing out etc (not sure that went too well!).

I want to know everything that I need to be able to do and what I can do to make sure my bike is in as good condition as it can be. Fettling tips. What basic tools I need in my tool kit. What the best cleaning products and accessories are.

I think a thread filled with tips on the above would be great for someone like me who enjoys tinkering but has no real knowledge of what I'm actually doing and why. or if there is a guide somewhere that I've missed then please point me in the right direction.

 

[wisdom]

Starting with the chain. Do a search on the forum for mickle method this method is simple effective and requires nothing more extravegant than a rag and your choice of lube.
I use nothing else but this method and everything runs smooth and clean.

 

[Tangoup51]

There are alot of advice people could give you, but giving you a piece of advice from my experience is this -

Don't be afraid to buy products that aren't related to cycling to maintain/clean your bicycle. I see too many over priced "cycle" specific cleaning/degreasing/lubing products that are expensive because of either brand or "specific" use, I've had huge success using products from the Industrial / car world for alot of purposes for bike maintaining, varying from cleaning to re-greasing bearings - so in short don't assume just because you've got a bicycle to work on you can't delve into the realms of Cars/scooter to purchase your stuff from.

 

[Too Tyred]

How clean should my chain be? Maybe a very stupid question but if I touch it how much black should be on my fingers? How silver should the cassette and chain be?

Excellent tip on the car products I wouldn't have thought about using those.

As for products. What do I need in my maintenance bag?

 

[Ajax Bay]

How clean should my chain be? What do I need in my maintenance bag?

What metric would you like us to use to answer that question? Shades of black on your fingers?
When the cassette is clean it's 'silver' (normally). Not easy to get it properly clean without taking the cassette off (ime). It functions perfectly well even when not clean. So does a chain provided it gets lubrication.
Since you've joined only a week ago,
Maintenance bag - this is the maintenance element of what I carried on a long (overnight) ride earlier this month. To which I should have added a spare gear cable (see other thread). Figure after item is weight in grammes. Pump is clipped on frame. Note spanner needed for mudguards.
Tube x 2 202
Levers, safety pin and patches 40
Pump 130
Chain splitter 83
Quick link, Zipties
spare stem/WB/m'dg'd bolt
M'dg'd stay nut 15
Shrader > Presta valve adapter 4
Allen keys 5,6,8mm, Spanner 8/10mm w spoke key slot 75
Tyre boot 5
Gloves, surgical 12
'Ready use' combined 6mm allen key /
posidrive screwdriver 19
Debit card

 

[Vegan1]

A decent pair of wire cutters and the thing most important to keep clean is the drivetrain.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Please can you share which cable cutters you carry with you (see other thread).