If you haven't touched your bike in a few years, what do you have to worry about.?

Question

I want to pick up cycling again and I was wondering what you have to do to maintain it. I know how to patch up the tube and stuff but how about the chains? What do you do to lubricate it?

Answer 1

First I'd get a degreaser and wipe the chain down until its clean.  Use an old toothbrush to do same to the rings and gears after spraying the degreaser and letting it set a few minutes.   Get all the 'gunk' off any of the gears and pulleys on the derailluers before you worry about lube.   A bucket of soapy water with regular dish soap is a good idea.   Scrub the gunk off and rinse with cold water, but dont spray the bike with a pressure washer; a garden hose on a low flow is best.   Then apply a good chain lube to the chain liberally;  wait a few min, then wipe off all excess.  You only need to lube the rollers in the links on the chain, not the gears.

Answer 2

I would suggest you start with giving it a good cleaning.  

During the process you will be able to inspect all of the components  and identify any needing replacement.  Be sure to check the condition of the spokes, rims, wheels, brake pads and all of the cables.   I  would  change the tubes, tighten all the screws, clean the chain with something like WD 40 as well as the gears and cables.  They make lots of different kinds of bike lubes that you will use on the chain, gears, cables, and other moving parts.  Be sure to wipe off the excess.  Once a month or so I wax my bike with a liquid car wax, which makes keeping it clean a lot easier.

Depending on what condition the bike was in the last time you rode it and what you find cleaning it you may want to take it to a local bike shop for a tune up which around here costs between $40 and $70 plus parts.

Welcome back to the world of cycling.

Answer 3

Frankly, with an bike that hasn't been touched in a couple of years, I would recommend taking the bike to your local bike shop an have them take a look at it. There are a lot of things (from experience I might add) that can be wrong with an old bike. Most bike shops should have some type of a tune-up option that covers at least all of you basic adjustments plus cleaning and greasing. They should also be more than happy to explain all of the future maintenance things that you will need to do.