Basic bike maintenance or a complete strip and re-build should not go ignored, whether you do it yourself or take it to the local bike shop. Your bike needs it regularly to keep it in top order, checked for damage and parts replaced where necessary to keep you safe and to prolong the life of the bike itself. In these harsh climates it’s even more necessary than it is in western Europe or other parts of the world with milder conditions.
It’s tough to put a time frame on it specifically. Depending on the type of riding and conditions, every 2000-3000km would suffice for our intermediate service, where we would mostly concentrate on stripping and deep cleaning the drivetrain. Typically, bearings at the headset, wheels and bottom bracket can last 5000-8000km and our advanced service would re-grease or replace if worn. Any creaks the bike may have acquired would be hunted out. With regular clean & lubes in between this would keep your bike riding longer and faster.
In a full service or what we call an advanced service, every part of the bike is dis-mantled with grease & lube applied where it should when re-building. Advised once a year it is crucial to keep parts like the seat post, BB (bottom bracket) and cables from seizing and any bearings, parts or components that need replacing dealt with. This effectively stops bearings from wearing out as with time and use they lose their lubrication; dust and grit makes its way in and they start running metal on metal. Never good in the engineering world.
If a bike is not serviced or maybe left out to battle the elements you may notice the moving parts at the headset, wheels and cranks become “notchy”. Hydraulic brakes will become unresponsive and possibly require more than a bleed. Cables become rusty and seized-up causing failure to brakes and gears. If ignored for a longer period then it will cost more in the long term for labor and parts than it would if the bike receives regular maintenance and may cause damage to the frame itself. The frame being stripped makes it easier to notice any cracks or damage that may have occurred, with internally routed cables through the headset it is becoming common for the cables to wear into the steerer causing catastrophic failures.
The more a bicycle is serviced, the longer the parts & components will last, so treat those unloved bicycles to some TLC and they’ll reward you with much improved riding performance.
Our Epic Annual Package includes the services a bicycle needs every year with hard riding; you pay up front, get a great deal and sure to save you money in the long term!
By Jordan Colledge, Head Mechanic Vélo Presto
