First full-suspension bike... Taking care of it.

[Pulse]

The initial message was deleted from this topic on 14 January 2016 at 20:01

[gradeA]

Standard neoprene chainstay protector should be fine, and get some 3M helitape (Google it) to stick on the frame anywhere the cables might rub or it might sustain damage.

This: http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/bike-wash... is a pretty comprehensive guide to keeping it clean. Build up a decent cleaning/lubing kit including spray cleaner (Muc-off or one of the cheaper copies), some stiff-bristled brushes, a chain cleaner, wet and dry chain lubes, and fork/shock stanchion lube as a minimum.

Keep the drivetrain clean and lubricated, don't jetwash bearings, and protect the frame from cable rub/damage and you're off to a good start. :-)

[richardxjr]

Good advice Anthem's a blast, but get it 1x, tubeless and droppered asap!

[DoubleU]

I'd always advise after every ride to wipe down and lube your fork stanchons/rear shock. You can buy proper fork juice, or (what I use) get some silicone spray. Aldi do some quite cheap. Doing this after every ride will really make a difference in keeping your suspension in good condition.

Pivots - try to avoid jet washing you bike too much. You don't want to blast out all the grease from them bearings. Check all your pivots every so often, making sure they're still moving smoothly.

Apart from that, its just usual bike maintenance as you would do with the hardtail

[gradeA]

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/workshop-how...

Another good how-to.

[Pulse]

gradeA said:

Standard neoprene chainstay protector should be fine, and get some 3M helitape (Google it) to stick on the frame anywhere the cables might rub or it might sustain damage.

This: http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/bike-wash... is a pretty comprehensive guide to keeping it clean. Build up a decent cleaning/lubing kit including spray cleaner (Muc-off or one of the cheaper copies), some stiff-bristled brushes, a chain cleaner, wet and dry chain lubes, and fork/shock stanchion lube as a minimum.

Keep the drivetrain clean and lubricated, don't jetwash bearings, and protect the frame from cable rub/damage and you're off to a good start. :-)

Thanks. I've bought all but the fork/shock stanchion lube. I see someone else mentioned this, and I've never done this with my Cannondale. What is it, and how do I use it?

Also actually, need the chainstay protector. The Lizard Skin ones look good, review well, and are cheap. I'd buy one now, but not sure what size I need! Any ideas? May as well get one for my Cannondale as well.

[Pulse]

richardxjr said:

Good advice Anthem's a blast, but get it 1x, tubeless and droppered asap!

Plan to 1x it pretty quickly, just because it's neater. Is this an easy thing to do?

Not sure what the benefits of tubeless are, and not looked into it yet. What's your perspective?

No plan for a dropper post just yet, but in time perhaps!

[Kermit power]

Pulse said:

richardxjr said:

Good advice Anthem's a blast, but get it 1x, tubeless and droppered asap!

Plan to 1x it pretty quickly, just because it's neater. Is this an easy thing to do?

Not sure what the benefits of tubeless are, and not looked into it yet. What's your perspective?

No plan for a dropper post just yet, but in time perhaps!

Personally, I'd put the dropper post way ahead of setting it up 1x. Once you've ridden with a dropper, you'll never want to go back!

Given that you've only just bought the bike, personally, I'd look at doing the 1x upgrade when drivetrain components start to wear out, rather than stripping new kit off and at best getting a fraction of its value back on eBay.

Tubeless, though, is great! It's lighter, but frankly on a full suspension bike, you won't notice the weight difference. What you will notice is that you can run at lower pressures, so you get much better grip, and whereas you'd be getting constant pinch punctures running at lower pressures with inner tubes, punctures become near enough a thing of the past running tubeless, although needless to say, I've probably now cursed myself!

Check to see if the tyres and rims the bike comes with are tubeless ready. If they are, then all you need is a couple of tubeless valves, a run of duct tape round the inside of the rim to seal off the spoke holes (proper tubeless tapes are available to do the same job at a much inflated price) and a bottle of sealant and you're away.

If the rims are tubeless ready and the tyres aren't, then I'd certainly spend money on new tyres rather than converting to 1x. If the rims aren't, then you've got a harder decision to make...

[Pulse]

Just setting the bike up, and first (stupid) question... My crank 'spindle'(?) is hollow, with no covers. Is that right? Looking at pictures it seems right (i.e. you can see from one side to the other). Like this:

[Pulse]

P.S. I only ask because my other bike is not hollow in that area!

[Pulse]

Second stupid question... And I know this is going to sound really stupid, but I can't seem to work out how to fit the front wheel! The front fork does not look like this:

https://merlincycles-img.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.co...

It doesn't have the 'dropouts'(?) at all, instead looks like it's full metal circular. Is that odd?

[richardxjr]

You've Shimano HollowtechII cranks, so is normal.

You've a maxle - it passes through one fork leg, through the wheel hub and screws into the opposite fork leg - Fox and Rockshox have slightly different ways of doing this but should be self evident. Easier with bike upside down.

Edited by richardxjr on Monday 4th January 12:41

[Pulse]

richardxjr said:

You've Shimano HollowtechII cranks, so is normal.

You've a maxle - it passes through one fork leg, through the wheel hub and screws into the opposite fork leg - Fox and Rockshox have slightly different ways of doing this but should be self evident. Easier with bike upside down.

Edited by richardxjr on Monday 4th January 12:41

Thanks Richard! I had sorted the maxle before coming back on here actually... RTFM actually worked! Who'd have thought it?

Thanks for the cranks. Do they take any specific care then, being hollow?

[neenaw]

I'm a big fan of this stuff on the chainstays on both sides to prevent heel rub:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/lizard-skins-le...

They also do a bigger version of this stuff which I've fitted to the downtube on my MTB's to try and protect it a bit from flying stones and rocks, it also helps to dull the noise the rocks make when they hit the frame so it doesn't sound too bad

I also use Juice Lubes Fork Juice on the shock and fork stanchions on both bikes after a ride, give them a quick wipe down first then a quick spray of Fork Juice on the stanchion and seals.

Other than that I just treat the FS the same as the hardtail.

[Don1]

I would add that blasting the bearings etc with a jet wash is a good way of getting rid of lube (etc) from within them. Not the best idea!

[Pulse]

I just contacted the retailer, as the forks have paint missing underneath, where it looks like paint has flaked off, and also has green paint on them (whereas the bike does not have green in the colourway). Is this normal? They're telling me it is, but I'm welcome to a refund.