Maintenance advice for a new (clueless) rider
Discussion
Hello to all the pedalling PHers.. Please go easy on me I am a complete "newbie" when it comes to anything two wheeled.
I am a recent proud owner of a new (to me) Trek Marlin 5. Paid a penny short of £220 (retail with short warranty), guy bought it new, couldn't ride it and sold it. It is literally as new, bargain??
I am 38 years old, I have not ridden a bike since my teens. My apprehensiveness was gone within seconds! I gather that this model is a decent "entry level" or a good starter bike? I can only imagine how a bike costing many times more rides, it absolutely flies! I can honestly say this bike has given me more of a sense of freedom than any car has.
My questions are, what sort of maintenance should I be doing? What tools should I have as a minimum and (apart from lights) are there any cheap mods or upgrades I should consider?
(Bicycles should be prescribed by GP's for anxiety/depression. The improvement in my health is very noticeable! I regret not getting one sooner)
Thankyou for any advice :-)
I am a recent proud owner of a new (to me) Trek Marlin 5. Paid a penny short of £220 (retail with short warranty), guy bought it new, couldn't ride it and sold it. It is literally as new, bargain??
I am 38 years old, I have not ridden a bike since my teens. My apprehensiveness was gone within seconds! I gather that this model is a decent "entry level" or a good starter bike? I can only imagine how a bike costing many times more rides, it absolutely flies! I can honestly say this bike has given me more of a sense of freedom than any car has.
My questions are, what sort of maintenance should I be doing? What tools should I have as a minimum and (apart from lights) are there any cheap mods or upgrades I should consider?
(Bicycles should be prescribed by GP's for anxiety/depression. The improvement in my health is very noticeable! I regret not getting one sooner)
Thankyou for any advice :-)
Don't know much about the bike, but it's a good company and at that price it can't be bad!
First upgrade I would recommend is clip in pedals and shoes. It takes a little learning to master them, to know when to unclip etc, but the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. You can get some pedals that are normal flat pedals one side, so will work with any shoe, and clip in the other, which may be a good way to learn. Being clipped in means you can forget about how you place your feet on the pedals - a common mistake is to not have your toes on the pedals, or to have your feet at an angle. It's more efficient (the shoes are stiffer so flex less when you pedal) plus if you're flying down a bumpy hill, your feet can come off normal pedals and that is very scary.
I would also recommend bar ends - they stick out at right angles and give you another place to put your hands. On long rides this is invaluable.
Maintenance - I'm not the right guy, my MTB carries half the Sussex mud around with it! Try to clean the chain gears and brakes after every ride, these parts wear out and will need replacing; if you let them get rusty or totally cacked up they will stop working. Check your tyres for flint and thorns after every ride, you can sometimes get small sharps sticking out of them and they won't cause a puncture straight away but will get in there eventually.
On every ride take a mobile, in case you get truly stuck. Also take tyre levers, a pump, patches (Park Tools do a self-adhesive patch that comes in a tiny plastic box) and preferably a spare new inner tube; you can't always find the hole out in the sticks. I can't see if you have QR wheels, if not you'll need spanner(s) to get the wheels off in the event of a puncture. A lot of folk take a multi tool and a chain link too, with these you should be able to fix most minor things.
First upgrade I would recommend is clip in pedals and shoes. It takes a little learning to master them, to know when to unclip etc, but the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. You can get some pedals that are normal flat pedals one side, so will work with any shoe, and clip in the other, which may be a good way to learn. Being clipped in means you can forget about how you place your feet on the pedals - a common mistake is to not have your toes on the pedals, or to have your feet at an angle. It's more efficient (the shoes are stiffer so flex less when you pedal) plus if you're flying down a bumpy hill, your feet can come off normal pedals and that is very scary.
I would also recommend bar ends - they stick out at right angles and give you another place to put your hands. On long rides this is invaluable.
Maintenance - I'm not the right guy, my MTB carries half the Sussex mud around with it! Try to clean the chain gears and brakes after every ride, these parts wear out and will need replacing; if you let them get rusty or totally cacked up they will stop working. Check your tyres for flint and thorns after every ride, you can sometimes get small sharps sticking out of them and they won't cause a puncture straight away but will get in there eventually.
On every ride take a mobile, in case you get truly stuck. Also take tyre levers, a pump, patches (Park Tools do a self-adhesive patch that comes in a tiny plastic box) and preferably a spare new inner tube; you can't always find the hole out in the sticks. I can't see if you have QR wheels, if not you'll need spanner(s) to get the wheels off in the event of a puncture. A lot of folk take a multi tool and a chain link too, with these you should be able to fix most minor things.
Nice bike. Cant complain with an (almost) new Trek for £220.
Emergency kit - levers, spare tube, smallest pump you can find, and some patches (like these http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-maintenance/b...
la-209386483924|crid:89798789164|nw:g|rnd:3785802499349199132|dvc:c|adp:1o3&gclid=CIDH5ee7wssCFYMK0wodIlUOJA)
Its easy to end up with a backpack full of junk, but I prefer riding without one, so everything goes in a tiny saddlepack (the pump may have to go in your pocket)
Do a dry run of changing a tyre at home so you know what to expect if you are in the middle of nowhere in the rain...
Get a decent track pump (when funds allow) http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-maintenance/b...
(Makes doing tyres up so much nicer and easier)
Maintenance really depends how mucky its getting. In the summer you'll probably go several rides without having to clean/re-oil, but in mud you need to give it a proper seeing-to after each ride.
I'd really recommend a chain cleaning device (between £10-20) as they bring the chain up looking almost brand new even after a mucky ride.
Once the chain is dry make sure you re-oil before it rusts - I really like muc-off dry: http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-maintenance/b...
Theres a wet version too, but that gets really claggy.
Buy (or make) an "endure" guard - its a small mudguard that fits on the forks and stops muck flying into your fork stanchions - which will really increase the life of the forks
http://forums.mtbr.com/all-mountain/diy-mudguard-p...
You can get special oil for forks, but I find a liberal coating of GT85 spray keeps them smooth (wipe off excess).
Emergency kit - levers, spare tube, smallest pump you can find, and some patches (like these http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-maintenance/b...
la-209386483924|crid:89798789164|nw:g|rnd:3785802499349199132|dvc:c|adp:1o3&gclid=CIDH5ee7wssCFYMK0wodIlUOJA)Its easy to end up with a backpack full of junk, but I prefer riding without one, so everything goes in a tiny saddlepack (the pump may have to go in your pocket)
Do a dry run of changing a tyre at home so you know what to expect if you are in the middle of nowhere in the rain...
Get a decent track pump (when funds allow) http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-maintenance/b...
(Makes doing tyres up so much nicer and easier)
Maintenance really depends how mucky its getting. In the summer you'll probably go several rides without having to clean/re-oil, but in mud you need to give it a proper seeing-to after each ride.
I'd really recommend a chain cleaning device (between £10-20) as they bring the chain up looking almost brand new even after a mucky ride.
Once the chain is dry make sure you re-oil before it rusts - I really like muc-off dry: http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-maintenance/b...
Theres a wet version too, but that gets really claggy.
Buy (or make) an "endure" guard - its a small mudguard that fits on the forks and stops muck flying into your fork stanchions - which will really increase the life of the forks
http://forums.mtbr.com/all-mountain/diy-mudguard-p...
You can get special oil for forks, but I find a liberal coating of GT85 spray keeps them smooth (wipe off excess).
Keep it clean and keep the chain lubed and it'll be good, there's not usually a whole lot more than that to do. One of the chain cleaner things works well and makes the job easier.
I always wipe my fork stanchions down after every ride and spray Juice Lubes Fork Juice around the stanchions and the seals. Don't know if it helps ultimately but I think it does so I keep doing it. The lube is about £7 a tin and lasts a couple of years for me.
I always wipe my fork stanchions down after every ride and spray Juice Lubes Fork Juice around the stanchions and the seals. Don't know if it helps ultimately but I think it does so I keep doing it. The lube is about £7 a tin and lasts a couple of years for me.
Apologies for the lack of a timely reply (busy, not ignorant!) and sorry for the unintended bump..
So seems like I got a decent fair bargain then. I agree it is a nice bike, gets positive remarks 9/10 times I go out on it and even one person offering to buy it. I've taken note of the advice and will go to my local independent bike shop (under 5 minutes ride!)
(Ive bought some fancy dust caps and still cleaning it after every ride, bug definitely bitten.. I would go as far as saying I would choose 2 wheels over 4 with my current locality, living 10 minutes ride into the City centre I just don't see the need for a car)
Many thanks for the replies guys :-) Appreciated
So seems like I got a decent fair bargain then. I agree it is a nice bike, gets positive remarks 9/10 times I go out on it and even one person offering to buy it. I've taken note of the advice and will go to my local independent bike shop (under 5 minutes ride!)
(Ive bought some fancy dust caps and still cleaning it after every ride, bug definitely bitten.. I would go as far as saying I would choose 2 wheels over 4 with my current locality, living 10 minutes ride into the City centre I just don't see the need for a car)
Many thanks for the replies guys :-) Appreciated
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