Road bike service intervals

[Ridgeway]

Assuming more or less dry miles what's a decent service schedule for a road bike ? Main tasks i can think of are:

- Headset clean and grease
- BB clean and grease
- Spoke tension check
- Wheel bearing clean and grease
- Drive train (cassette, jockey wheels and chain) off bike full degrease and clean

What frequency would i need to carry out the above and what have i missed

 

[Sharky]

I'm afraid I never service my bikes. I keep an eye out for unexpected noises and creaks etc, but if all performing OK, leave well alone.

One thing you have missed is brake cables. They can rust and snap! A former club mate used to recable every year.

 

[raleighnut]

^^^^^^^ as above it's a bike, Oil the chain and pump the tyres up.

 

[MntnMan62]

I change the oil in my bikes every 5,000 miles.

 

[Ridgeway]

Wow no preventative maintenance remind me not to buy a 2nd bike in the UK

Cables is a good shout, mechanical or hydro i guess they all need looking after.

 

[Ridgeway]

^^^^^^^ as above it's a bike, Oil the chain and pump the tyres up.

That's before every ride, was thinking more like annual or after XXX miles etc

 

[Gunk]

If you keep them clean then you are constantly inspecting everything, I regularly do stuff like clean and lubricate the chain and true wheels.

When they do feel a bit tired I prefer a complete strip back to a bare frame, clean and restore everything, replace cables bearings etc and rebuild, you end with a good as new bike.

 

[Ridgeway]

If you keep them clean then you are constantly inspecting everything, I regularly do stuff like clean and lubricate the chain and true wheels.

When they do feel a bit tired I prefer a complete strip back to a bare frame, clean and restore everything, replace cables bearings etc and rebuild, you end with a good as new bike.

How often do you do that approx ?

 

[Eric Olthwaite]

Wow no preventative maintenance remind me not to buy a 2nd bike in the UK

I can't be bothered with preventative maintenance to extend the life of relatively cheap components. A new headset is what, £40?
I guess it would be quite different if I had a £5,000 bike.

 

[Paulus]

My bikes get checked when cleaning them.
Any noises, grumbles or slackness of bearings then gets sorted.

 

[chriswoody]

The only set maintenance task is a yearly brake bleed on my SRAM hydraulics. I check the level of sealant in the tubeless tyres from time to time and check chain wear on a semi regular basis.

Mostly though it's about a check over when I wash it or just keeping a note of how it feels when I'm riding it. Yesterday for example I noticed a slightly notchy feel from the cranks, possibly the BB is nearing the end of its life, so I'll keep and eye on that. I certainly won't be dismantling it or greasing it, just replacing it when it does go.

 

[Drago]

On bikes in regular use I do the bearings annually. Unless you're doing record breaking mileage that's more than sufficient...unless its BB30 equipped!

As for the rest of it, that's all covered as part of a dilligent running maintenance programme. Thourough daily checks prior to riding identifies anything in need of immediate attention, and the weekly clean is the time to check spokes and clean and lube the drivetrain. It's not just about extending the life of cheap components - its about ensuring the bile is reliable, and always rides to the best of it's mechanical ability.

As my esteemed bethren above have already observed, if you keep the bike in good running order as you go then aside from the bearings there isn't a lot else to do.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

I clean it if it's dirty, and I'm checking everything over as part of that.
I've never ever cleaned out bearings and headsets etc, I've never needed to.

 

[raleighnut]

That's before every ride, was thinking more like annual or after XXX miles etc

I generally take one of my bikes completely apart every year, replace everything that needs it but generally if a bike is riding fine then it's OK I realise that having multiple bikes makes this easy cos if one does start to go a bit 'lame' I can grab another at a seconds notice to get wherever I need to go but really they're all in tip top condition mechanically so this rarely happens.

 

[Gunk]

How often do you do that approx ?

Every wet ride I wash and dry off the bike before it’s put away, I’m a bit of a fusspot, so they’re all in perfect condition.