Mountain Bike Maintenance For Beginners
To ensure that you get the best out of your ride, it’s important to stay on top of some basic maintenance. The basics are simple to learn and aside from being a money saving bonus, it can be very rewarding to clean up your bike and see it shine. Here are a few basic steps that you can go through after each session to keep your bike in showroom condition.
Getting started is simple; all you need is a few tools and some lubricants. The basic toolkit for any mountain biker should consist of a set of Allen keys and some spanners. As far as spanners go, the sizes most commonly needed for mountain bikes are 8-10mm but the more the merrier. Screwdrivers, both Phillips head and flat head can also come in handy so they’re useful to have lying around. All of these tools can be purchased from any DIY store but Park Tool manufacture a vast array of high quality, mountain bike specific tools that are available from a lot of mountain bike retailers. As for lubricant, two types will do for most riders: GT85 for keeping gear cables and the like lubricated and a heavier contact lubricant for your chain such those made by as Finish Line or Rock N Roll. If you want your ride to really sparkle, you may also want to try a bike cleaning product, such as Muc Off Nano Tech bike cleaner but warm soapy water is a cheap and effective alternative. To complete your post ride check-up kit, you’ll want a couple of J-cloths and a stiff hand brush (the kind you find with a dustpan, though again – more specialised versions are manufactured by Park Tool).
To begin with, find an area where you can work. Outside is probably best as neither your mum nor other half is likely to let your muddy bike into the sitting room. The simplest way to tackle the fix up is to flip your bike upside down and rest it on the saddle. If you’re worried about scuffing it, stick some newspaper on the floor beneath it to give it some protection. To make everything a bit more accessible and to ensure any lubricants stay away from the braking surface; it’s a good idea to remove the wheels. This will either involve simply popping open the quick release skewers or on a more heavy duty bike, undoing the bolt-through hubs with an Allen key or spanner. Be gentle, especially with the back wheel as you ease the rear cassette from the derailleur.
The next step is cleaning. You can do this in any order you like but I prefer to remove the big heavy bits of mud by hand; run your hand along the frame to rub off the mainstay of the mud and do likewise with the rest of the bike picking out anything that’s going to give your cloth and brush hassle later. You can go straight at it with a cloth and some soapy water but bear in mind that introducing water to large amounts of mud is going to make more mud. Next, it’s a good idea to clean the drivetrain. Here’s where your brush comes in: use the brush to scrub the chain, derailleur, rear cassette and front chain rings. There’s going to be gritty bits of dirt flying around, so don’t get your eyes too close. Once you’re satisfied that you’ve dislodged most of the dirt, it’s time to move in with a wet soapy j-cloth or rag. Hold the cloth in your hand and wrap it round the chain then turn the cranks to run the chain through the cloth. After this, make sure you clean all around the cranks, chain rings and derailleur with the cloth. As you go use a clean, dry cloth to wipe everything dry. The next step should be to clean the frame using the same technique: wet soapy cloth, then dry, clean cloth. Pay particular attention to any cables that run along the underside of the frame as they can be a real dirt trap. When you come to the handlebars, make sure you remove all the dirt from the brake and gear levers. To ensure that you expel all moisture from the gear cables, (and brake cables if you use v-brakes or cable disc brakes) spray some GT85 into the cable lines. This will ensure that the cables run smoothly and don’t corrode.
If you are using disc brakes, it is important that you ONLY use a suitable degreaser to clean the disc rotors such as Weldtite disc brake cleaner. Simply spray on and wipe off with a clean cloth.
Once you’ve cleaned the underside of the bike, the forks and wheels, its time to put the wheels back into place. Once again be very gentle, especially when sliding the disc rotors back into the brake assembly. Once the wheels are in place and you’ve tightened the bolts back up, check that the wheels and disc rotors are true by giving the wheel a spin. Be careful not to touch your clean rotors though, this can reintroduce contaminants and affect the performance of your brake. You can however touch your rims, so as you spin the wheel run your fingers along each side to ensure there is no damage there. Allow your finger to run across the spokes as the wheel turns as well, they should all feel taught. If a spoke is loose, tighten it a quarter of a turn at a time using a spoke key as found on most multi-tools. Be very careful not to over-tighten the spoke as this can cause problems for the wheel. If you don’t feel confident playing with your wheels, it’s probably best to let a qualified mechanic take a look at it; just one over-tightened spoke can play havoc with the wheel.
Next, turn your pedals and as you do run trough the gears to make sure they’re all running well. Don’t worry if the chain sounds a little louder than usual, you haven’t re-applied any lubricant yet so that’s to be expected. Now you can flip the bike back over. Wash down any parts of the bike that you missed while it was upside down using the same technique as before, wet soapy cloth then dry, clean cloth. You’re bike should be starting to look a bit more healthy again now. At this point check out your front suspension, wiping any grime from around the seals and the sliders… do likewise with the rear suspension if you have it. Check the brakes by pulling the levers to ensure they engage properly and make sure stop the bike moving by pulling the levers as you slowly roll the bike forwards. If there are any problems, check the brake pads for wear and in the case of hydraulic disc brakes check the hoses for leaks. While the front brake is engaged fully, rock the bike gently back and forth to check for play in the headset. The best way of ensuring the headset always remains secure is investing in a head-lock bolt which very simply pulls together the top and bottom of the headset. It also keeps the fork’s steerer-tube dirt free – one less thing to clean next time.
The last thing to do is re-lubricate the drivetrain. Keep the lubricant’s applicator stationary and move the chain underneath it by turning the pedals anti-clockwise, applying the lube as the chain passes. Once you’ve covered the whole chain, you’re done. There is one more sneaky trick to try: to make the bike really shine, apply some GT85 to a clean cloth and wipe it along the frame, this not only makes the frame look shiny and new, but it leaves a Teflon coating which makes it harder for dirt to stick to the frame on your next ride. Now it’s your turn: hit the shower then re-lubricate with your post ride beverage of choice.