Ride smooth with basic bicycle maintenance - Clean, Lube and Detail

Are you getting ready to hit the road again now that spring is arriving? Make sure your bike is road ready with these basic bicycle maintenance tips. If you keep up with these tasks throughout the season, you'll be sure to be riding smooth all year long. Basic bicycle maintenance is the key to a happy and healthy bike! Don't have the time to do some of these tasks yourself? Bring your bike by Takoma Bicycle for a tune-up!

Cleaning Tasks

Cleaning your chain

Instead of the old fashioned kerosene or turpentine in a bucket method for cleaning your chains, use a degreaser and cleaner tool. Put the degreaser in the tool, snap the tool on your chain and backpedal your way to a clean chain.

Keeping your chain clean

When your bike chain and gears aren't too dirty, use a brush to quickly clean your chain and gears. Thin, stiff-bristled brushes fit into small places and can be used "dry" to remove the heavy stuff, or moistened with degreaser to do a more thorough cleaning job.

Cleaning your drivetrain

Give a speed degreaser a shot for cleaning the rest of your drive train. Degreasers spray on in clean in just seconds.

Cleaning your cogs

Clean your cogs easier and faster than ever with a floss for your bike. This tool is perfect for cleaning those hard-to-reach areas. Its microfibers attract and hold grit and grime for an easy cleaning job.

Lube Tasks

The Chain

Keeping your chain lubricated is one of the ways to ensure ease of pedaling, ease of shifting, and to prevent squeaking. To keep your bike running right, keep your chain clean and well lubricated at all times with chain lubes.

The Derailleurs

Your derailleurs work hard with every shift of your bike, and are key to keeping your drivetrain wear to a minimum. By lubricating your front and rear derailleurs you can keep shifting both quietly and smoothly.

The Brake And Shift Levers

The working parts on your brake and shift levers also need to be kept clean and lubed for optimal braking and shifting. Apply a dry lube to the pivot points while running your levers through their range of motion. Also, apply the lube to the adjusting barrel threads.

Detailing tasks

Give your bike a wash

After a long ride, or a long winter in storage, your bike needs a full wash. Washing can be fast and easy with the right product. The right cleaning agent will quickly break down the dirt and grime that accumulates on your frame and components.

Revolutionize your cleaning with brushes

A sponge or rag can do the job, but cleaning becomes much easier with the right set of brushes designed specfically for the task of cleaning your bike. Special brushes make cleaning the frame, wheels, tires, and hard to reach places a cinch.

Make your bike shine like new

A polished bike not only looks amazing, but it even seems to ride better. Modern frames and components are made to shine. Beyond aesthetics, polished frames and parts stay clean longer as they resist dirt and moisture.

Other Tasks

Grease Your Seatpost

Simply removing your seatpost every few months and applying a thin layer of grease to the part prevents corrosion and makes it easy to raise and lower your seat.

Lube Your Suspension

It's important to keep the gaskets, O-rings and stanchion legs on your bike lubricated. In addition, most shock makers recommend having the shock oil replaced with new oil once a year.

Cleaning Your Caliper Brakes

It's important to keep the rims clean of any rubber deposits from the brake pads and clean of grime and dirt, too. A good degreaser is perfect for this task. After the rims are clean, check your brake pads. Glazed, hardened or dirty pads can cause a loss of braking power and squeaking noises. Clean them by scrubbing off any debris and hardened glaze with sandpaper.

Cleaning Your Disc Brakes

Disc brakes offer impressive stopping power, but to maintain this power, you have to keep them clean. A name brand degreaser will easily remove both dirt and glaze off the rotors. Just be sure to replace the pads if they get chipped or contaminated with grease and grime.