Maintenance at the first 400 mile commuting mark

Hello Reader,


One of the challenges with buying used equipment of any kind is that you are not sure of it's condition and what maintenance it will need in the near future. When looking at the numbers though is makes financial sense to buy used as long as you're willing to take time to learn some new things about doing repairs yourself and be inconvenienced (Also called Badassity by MMM). Part of the reason that I recommend washing your bike once a week (at least) and deep cleaning your chain (and lubricate properly) at least once a week.
    The great benefit to this is getting to know your machine, and you'll probably find items that need attention during the preventive maintenance(PM) stage rather than roadside emergency.
    After the first week of riding to work I washed my bicycle and I found a broken spoke on the rear rim, because I washed it Sunday evening I was able to make time and replace the spoke (taken from a used rim on a scrap bicycle). I replaced my chain before I started commuting and have removed it and soaked it in mineral spirits(solvent) for a few hours, cleaned off chain and lubed with a chain lube that sets into a wax like substance to reduce the amount of dirt attracted to it.
    While washing my bike the first week I noticed that the pedals were starting to not spin freely, trying to keep costs down and unsure about switching to a clipless pedal system I was holding out on buying new pedals. But last Thursday on my way into work, I started to notice a "click" in the drivetrain, I stopped by Bothell Ski & bike to buy a new chain ($15) and a chain wear gauge ($25). The chain is just at the wear limit. I figured I would just replace the chain at work when I wash my bicycle at lunch. I get to work and I find that the pedal feels really weird, after checking it I saw that it was sloppy. Here are the pictures of it disassembled:

I think that I found part of my clicking, see the bearing cups in the top? I ran down to Performance Bicycle and picked up a pair of Comp pedals ($30). Measuring the new chain compared to the old one (after using a chain breaker to set the proper length) you can see that it is nearly a half link off after just under 400 miles on that chain! I am going to up my chain cleaning/maintenance from once a week to twice a week.



After I replaced the pedals and the chain, the "click" has gone away and it runs smoothly now. I think that if you were riding solely on paved surfaces (in the dry weather) I think you should get more miles out of your chain. 6 miles out of every 16 miles (37.5%) that I'm riding are on lightly graveled trail, this is the reason for closer chain maintenance intervals.

Until next time, keep the rubber side down,

The Diesel Cyclist