Bicycle Maintenance – A Standard Bicycle Service

This post reflects my standard maintenance service which is applied to all my bikes every 500 km or 1,000 km depending on the time of year.  500 km is the mileage service interval for my wet season which runs from winter through to spring (June to November inclusive) and the 1,000 km mileage service interval is for my dry season which runs through summer and autumn (December to May inclusive).

Standard Bicycle Service

My standard 11 point bicycle service consists of the following tasks which are undertaken in this order:

1. Cleaning the chain using a Park Tool CM-5 Cyclone Chain Scrubber and Australian Export degreaser.  I generally run the chain through three to four flushes of degreaser with each flush being approximately 30 revolutions of the pedals.

1. Check the condition of the jockey wheels. Depending on how they feel I might remove them and re-grease them. As a preventative maintenance step I replace them every 10,000 km.
2. Clean the bike with car wash and then polish with Mr Sheen. Mr Sheen is good for providing a layer against greasee hands as well as adding a shine.  I use this opportunity to check over the frame for any signs of damage or other issues.
3. Deflate the tyres and checking for wear levels, cuts and embedded foreign objects, e.g., glass. Pick-out any embedded foreign objects to minimise likelihood of punctures. Re-inflate to recommend pressures.
4. Check the condition of brake pads, their alignment and adjust as required.
5. Check chain wear with a Shimano TL-CN41 Chain wear indicator tool. There is a good discussion of chain wear indicators here.  Based on this article I brought the TL-CN41. So far it appears to be reading more accurately than my Park Tool chain wear indicator and hence I am changing the chains later.

1. Re-index the rear derailleur if necessary.
2. Remove the pedals and refit (prevents them seizing up) and adjust the tension.
3. Check the condition of the cleats on the shoes that I use on the bike being serviced. I find it smart to just loosen the screws and re-tension as this reduces the chance of them seizing up.
4. I then go over the bike checking the tension of all bolts and screws.  Reduces the chance of something nasty happening out on the road or single-track.
5. I remove the seat-post and reinsert.  This again is a preventative measure to minimise the chance of them seizing in the frame. On the Look 555 which is a carbon seat post I also use carbon paste to ensure a good tight fit but without seizing issues. Don’t forgot to use a piece of electrical tape to mark the seat post position before removing the post!
6. Finally I lube the chain with Rock and Roll Gold chain lube and other all the moving parts (shifters, pedals, brake callipers, derailleurs etc) with WD 40 and/or Rock and Roll Gold chain lube.

Less Frequent Maintenance Tasks

Every 10,000 km as a preventative measure I:

1. Replace the jockey wheels;
2. Replace the inner shifter and brake cables.

Both are low cost replacement items so it is worth the small cost to minimise issues down the road.

I also of course replace the rear cluster, chain rings, brake pads and tyres as required.