Bike Maintenance Reminders

One benefit of blogging is that I can look up stuff I have talked about in the past. As a 46 year old woman, I tend to forget things. Alot. What was I talking about again? Hehe.

I recently had some bike maintenance issues which I thought my bloggy peeps might find educational. This post will also serve as a log for my own bike maintenance.

Last summer the chain on my road bike broke. When I told the bike mechanic at the LBS that the chain had 8000 miles on it, he got that wide-eyed “OMG WTF” look, and then explained that a chain should be replaced every 1200 miles. Ooops, I didn’t know that! If you don’t replace your chain in a timely manner than the rear cassette wears out, too. That mistake ended up costing me $200.

When I got the new tri bike, I was sure to log all the miles in my BT workout log, so I would know when to replace the chain. I just hit the 1000 mile mark. I was also noticing a loud creaking sound coming from the cranks, particularly when I was on the trainer grinding a hard gear. It sounded like the bike was going to fall apart! So, I took the bike into the REI store in Cary, NC. I told the bike mechanic about the noise, and he took off the cranks to look at the bottom bracket. The cranks were loose, and he explained that type of bottom bracket needs to be taken apart and lubed every 500 miles.

Bike Parts, FYI:

Ooops, again! Luckily, no costly damage this time around! I also asked him about the chain condition. He had a little tool that measures chain wear, and yes indeed, it needed replacing. I left the bike in the shop for a few days- got the basic tuneup, new chain and lubing of the bottom bracket. He also said he milled the edges of the bottom bracket spindle to get rid of any burrs. Wow, that seemed like above and beyond the call of duty! Total cost was only $104 (REI Member price). I really like that bike shop! Still, I need to figure out how to do some of this stuff myself, if only to avoid leaving my bike in the shop!

So, here’s the maintenance log I promisied: