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In today’s send I’m going to talk about some basic maintenance this week. This will be the first in a series. I will cover how to and why of drivetrain maintenance.

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Maintenance: Part 1, the chain.

Keeping your drivetrain, specifically the chain, is the single most important part of bike maintenance you can do. A clean drivetrain will function better than a dirty drivetrain, and it will last longer. A clean drivetrain starts with using the correct lube. There are two different kinds of lube, dry lube and wet lube. Both lubes are liquid, so technically they are both wet. A dry lube has a lower viscosity than a wet lube. A wet lube is thicker than a dry lube.

If you live in an area of the country with four seasons you will only want to use a wet lube(if at all) during the winter months where the trails as usually a little wetter. Because wet lube is thicker it doesn’t wash off as easy, and in turn it can protect your drivetrain better. This is the exact reason why you shouldn’t use it in dry dusty conditions that we get during the dryer months. Because it’s thicker it attracts more dirt and grime that will wear down your drivetrain prematurely. On the other hand, a dry lube is lower viscosity, and it will wash off easier. Where I ride I am going through creeks and streams almost every ride, so the lube washing off is a concern. That is also makes dry lube my choice year round. It doesn’t attract dirt and grime, so my drivetrain is easier to keep clean. The downside is that I need to apply lube before every ride. My preferred lube is Rock and Roll Gold. I will buy a 32oz bottle, and refill my 4oz bottle for ease of use.

You will need two things to lube your chain. A bottle of lube and a rag or an old t-shirt. Never use any aerosol lubes. They make a mess, and they get lube places you don’t want it like your brake rotors and pads. If you have a repair stand this is easier, but it can be done with the bike upside down or simply leaning up against the wall. The first step is cleaning the chain. Grab the chain with your rag. You want your rag to be under the chainstay. Take the pedal, and spin the cranks backwards pulling the chain through the rag. If it’s really dirty, you might also want to use a degreaser like Muc Off to get the chain really clean. You can also go with the Simple Green gallon, and a spray bottle to make a diluted solution. The dirt and grime on a chain form a paste that wears down your drivetrain prematurely. Once it’s clean put one drop of lube on each of the rollers on the chain. It’s the round part that connects all the plates. I am not expecting you to put a drop on each one. That would take forever. Spin the cranks backwards again dripping the lube over the chain. I usually do it over the cassette since extra lube won’t bother it. I do this for 5-10 rotations of the cranks. Then I grab a rag(use a different one if you use a degreaser), and wipe any excess lube off the chain by spinning the cranks backwards. You are cleaning any lube on the plates of the chain off since you only need it on the rollers.

If you only learn how to do one bit of bike maintenance, make it this.

Bike I’m Eyeing: Santa Cruz Hightower

Maintenance: Part 2, centering and truing the rotor on your brakes.

Disk brakes are awesome, and also a pain in the butt at times. They are great because you stop no matter what conditions you are riding in. They can be a pain too. The rotor can and frequently will rub the brake pads when the brake it’s engaged. You can hear the rotor and pad contact while the wheel is spinning. This can be caused by a few different reasons that I will go into below.

The first reason could be a simple as the rotor need to be centered. Centering the rotor is making each brake pad equal distance from the rotor. This is a pretty simple process assuming the rotor is straight and true. I will cover what to do if it’s untrue below. First, grab a 5mm allen hex key. Loosen the caliper mounting bolts about a half to full turn. There will be two of these. One on either side of the caliper, attaching it it the frame or fork. Once they are loose, spin the wheel. While it’s still spinning grab the brake lever, and don’t let go. Then tighten the two caliper mounting bolts you loosened earlier. Let go of the brake lever, and spin the wheel again. It should be quiet. If not repeat the steps above. If that still doesn’t work you may have a bent rotor.

As awesome as disk brakes are, the rotors can bend easily. An easy way to see if it’s bent is to simply look down at the rotor going through the caliper. If you can see if wobble enough to come in contact with the pads it likely needs to be trued a bit. That the fancy way of saying that you are going to bend it back to straight. The Park Tool DT-2 rotor truing tool is great for that. You can leave the wheel in the bike for this. Some wheel truing stands have a rotor truing feature. Use the truing fork to bend it in the opposite direction of the bend until it’s straight or at lease reasonably straight. This process can be a little tedious, but it’s a good skill to have.

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