Quick questions for you all:
1) What's considered routine mainenance for a drive train besides cleaning it, lubing it, and tightening cables?
2) How do I maintenance air shocks? or do i even need to worry about them...
3) What else should I worry about fiddling with on a regular basis?
4) Thinking about upgrading to disc brakes....is there any difference btwn mechanical (looking at avid) and hydraulic calipers besides weight and cost?
Thanks
Kenny
First off rountine mantinence for drivetrain is basically lubrication and tightening of stuff, but it is recommended to take everything off the bike once in awhile and degrease it, relube it, and put it back on. Just make sure that after your done degreasing and using water to clean it, that you lub it back up immediately or rust will occur.
Two, mantinence on air shocks i know little about, but what i do know is that they sell kits for mantinence of rear shocks and front forks. But, if you have little expericence messing with bike stuff, it is recommended to hand it off to a bike mechanic professional or your local bike shop to fix the problem.
Three, i usually check my pedals, brakes, stem and handlebar and seat post clamp, and tire pressure before a ride. It is a good habit to get into to check your bike out before every ride so that when your out on the ride , something won't go wrong that you wished you would have caught earlier. Always check brakes and tire pressure though since these are the most important elements, at least in my opinion. Oh yeah, and when you wash your bike after a ride in the mud or whenever always dry it and then re-lube everything so rust will not occur.
Four, disc brakes are a definite ugrade nowadays. The mechanical work good, but if you plan on riding a lot and you ride hard, I recommend going with the hydros. The mechanicals are a good deal for the money, but are more of a recreational brake, or for those who don't ride everyday, etc. There is usually not as much give in mechanicals as well, meaning they stop really quickly and can be very sensitive to brake pump. Weight is not really a big factor with discs, but mantinence is. Hydros require more mantinence, and when they go to shit, they really go to shit. They will cost you a lot more to fix, but in the long run they are more reliable.
So, thats about it. Hmmmm that took me awhile to write, soi hope that helps somewhat. Slug and Mudanoman know a lot about mechanical stuff too, so hit them up with some questions.
Late. -Tone
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