How often do you do a full tuneup or overhaul on your bike?

Triathlon Forum
21

pressfit BBs are super easy to replace. There are plenty of Youtube videos, but find one that makes a DIY tool for install. All it requires is some threaded rod, fender washers and a couple nuts. It is a $10 trip to the hardware store for a perfectly fine BB ‘press’. If you don’t have 2 wrenches to match the nuts, then add in some more $.

To pop it out, you could get the rocket ship OR again make a DIY tool. That one takes a bit more work, so I just got the park BBT. You only need a removal tool if you want to try to put it back in*. If you are just replacing it, you need a hammer and a fat screwdriver. It will be destroyed on removal, but who cares? You are just trashing it anyway.

…and to the original question: Never. All components are constantly monitored and addressed as needed. All of my bikes are in newish operating condition at all times.

*so do the math. The tool costs $45 and new BBs are $20-30. I can usually reinstall a BB 2-3X before it cracks on reinstall. If I can reuse 3 BBs, the tool paid itself off. I hit that a long time ago.

22

You can use a hammer and block of wood to install a pressfit bottom bracket.

23

IF you keep the chain clean-ish (wipe it down after every ride w/ a rag, maybe lube it every 3-4 rides), and check the brake pads (rim brakes) for grit and glaze a few times a season, you should be good for at least 1-2 years of riding, without needing a full LBS tune-up.

The cables should last a good 3-4 years before needing to be replaced, unless you ride in really bad weather a LOT, or it’s on the trainer and gets sweated on a lot.
Brake pads - as needed, which seems to be 2-4 years.
I deglaze the pads w/ sandpaper a few times a season, which helps maintain good braking, at the slight cost of wearing down the pads a little quicker.

I sweat like an alien, very salty and corrosive, so about every other year I need some major headset love to be done, so I get the full tune-up, to make sure there’s not any other issues I may have missed.

Agree 100% on de-glazing the brake pads, probably the most overlooked maintenance item I see. Get a little grit in them and they will eat through an aluminum rim in a hurry. You should really sand them down after any significant rain ride because the grit is unavoidable.

I disagree on shifting cables, I would never go more that ~6k miles without at least changing inner cables. The later 10sp versions of Shimano was notorious for shredding shift cables at the brifter and I’d change those more frequently. I don’t know if they have fixed that with the newer versions, but it’s still a high wear item and it’s so cheap and easy to change. I’ve seen at least 5 people lose RD cables on rides, one of those in a race and she had to finish the race in her 11. The shift housings are more a factor of weather/grit and they will tell you when to change based on shift performance. I normally just change mine any time I change cables. Cables and housing is so cheap if you buy in bulk, ~$10 to install new shift cables and housing.

I’ve never seen a brake cable fail, they are much thicker than shift cables. I’d say 4 years or 25k miles, which ever comes first.

Chains every ~3k miles is probalby overkill, but they are cheap and who doesn’t like rolling a new chain. Wipe/lube chain weekly.

24

I think old chain causes the biggest problem, so if you replace chain on time, you should be good. I maintain my bike myself and I keep it pretty clean, so no major tune up is needed. Just watch some youtube videos, so you can adjust front and rear derailleurs and service brakes. I do take my rear wheel to LBS and get the hub serviced and wheel truing done. It’s not a rocket science, so don’t spend too much money or time on it.

25

You can use a hammer and block of wood to install a pressfit bottom bracket.
Wow, I’m impressed!
I can definitely see that working but I am probably too clumsy for it. I imagine I’d get it a little misaligned and bust the slipover part of the two halves. The DIY press is dirt cheap and slides in super slow and easy to control.

26

The closest I get to a full tune up or overhaul is when I first build up a bike. From then on, I just keep the chain clean and lubed, adjust brakes and derailleurs as needed, and replace consumable items (tires, brake pads, chains, cables and housing) as needed. Wipe down the frame with a damp rag whenever it gets dirty. My bikes tend to look and perform like new, even after as much as a few decades of use…

27

Been trying to learn to do a lot of things myself lately, youtube is great for that.

So basically like others said, maintain your bike and soon you’ll get to know it well. I clean the chain every other week or so, maybe longer. If I want to do a deep clean I’ll check the jockey wheels, clean the cassette, wash the bike, check all the bolts etc. I don’t know if most bike shops do that deep of a cleaning on the drive train when you take it for a tune up.

Its actually quite amazing how the bike feels after a deep clean of the drivetrain, its almost like its a brand new bike.

28

Will never forget the day I was spectating at a full distance IM race. Standing a hundred yards or so past the bike mount line, a fellow’s crank broke right in front of me. The actual crank arm broke off on the opposite end of the pedal mount. The guy was heart broken to say the least. He said he had been working himself up to the full distance for several years and to not even get a hundred yards into the bike was devastating. Who knows if any kind of maintenance or regular inspection would have prevented this from happening but I started looking at my bike more closely and I always take it to my local mechanic for an inspection prior to any races.

This. I did mobile service during an ironman and the first mile of the bike leg was a gong show. Things literally falling off bikes. Nothing like getting yelled at by an asshole who doesn’t maintain his/her bike and then gets upset with the person volunteering to help them because the cranks and/or derailleur are falling off. As said by others, keep your bike clean, take care of your drivetrain, and take it in once a year or so to have a professional look it over. Shouldn’t be more than $50 and preventive maintenance is much less expensive in the long run. Little things like making sure everything is in alignment and crisp make a huge difference. I was shocked at the amount of people who spend thousands on a race, then show up with a clapped out, totally neglected bike.

29

Will never forget the day I was spectating at a full distance IM race. Standing a hundred yards or so past the bike mount line, a fellow’s crank broke right in front of me. The actual crank arm broke off on the opposite end of the pedal mount. The guy was heart broken to say the least. He said he had been working himself up to the full distance for several years and to not even get a hundred yards into the bike was devastating. Who knows if any kind of maintenance or regular inspection would have prevented this from happening but I started looking at my bike more closely and I always take it to my local mechanic for an inspection prior to any races.

This. I did mobile service during an ironman and the first mile of the bike leg was a gong show. Things literally falling off bikes. Nothing like getting yelled at by an asshole who doesn’t maintain his/her bike and then gets upset with the person volunteering to help them because the cranks and/or derailleur are falling off. As said by others, keep your bike clean, take care of your drivetrain, and take it in once a year or so to have a professional look it over. Shouldn’t be more than $50 and preventive maintenance is much less expensive in the long run. Little things like making sure everything is in alignment and crisp make a huge difference. I was shocked at the amount of people who spend thousands on a race, then show up with a clapped out, totally neglected bike.

Sometimes these things happen AFTER maintenance has been done and the rider hasn’t done enough test miles to make certain that the maintenance was done right. Or they did the maintenance themselves without several test rides afterwards.

An important part of maintenance is riding the bike frequently enough to recognize what’s going right or wrong.