When it comes to bike set up and maintenance, it seems to me there are two distinct categories of rider….

Rider 1 – Spends hours tinkering with their bike. Keeps it immaculately clean, and has the vocabulary required to talk at length about tyre choice, suspension set up.

Rider 2 – Is scared of cleaning their bike because the dirt is probably holding it together. Changes their tyres when they need to (when they've turned to slicks), lets Rider 1 set their suspension up whilst smiling and nodding as if they have a clue what 1 is saying.

Which one are you?

[Thanks to the rider that used the last 20 secs of their jet wash at afan to clean my bike….. annual wash complete! 😀 ]

Neither.

HTH.

I sort of sit between the two. My bikes are generally clean and always in top working order with lubed and adjusted everything. I do change tyres regularly depending on the ride I am doing and the conditions. 3 different sets of tyres.

However I don't partake in geekery. I can't recognise bikes and bits from a distance and have to ask a geek for what is sa suitable part for what I want.

😆 Thanks Jamie!

[under breath] prick [under breath]

It wasn't until I had to changethe tyre that i realised my 96er had different size wheels.

guess that puts me in category 2

There is a third way…

Somewhere between
Tyres – used the same for years – Fire XC Pro… am thinking of defecting to rubber queens though – if only for the name…
Cleaning – every 3-4 rides, unless I encounter a particularly sh*tty & gritty ride..
Fettling – strictly only when and if needed. Always proceeded by several days of putting it off, generally taking place in a 'b@lls! – forgot about that!' just before the next ride..

See my bikes are always in perfect working order, but always dirty. I set them up right first time and then when something breaks I service or replace myself. Pre ride I lube the chain.

It seems to me that the guys who consistantly tinker are the very same people you have to wait for because of mechanicals when on a ride.

I'm somewhere in-between. My bikes are rarely washed but they do get fairly regular maintenance and generally work fine. I don't try too many different tyres (most of my bikes have either Eskars or Speed Kings) now either.

My bikes are dirty, when I washed one I got asked why I'd bought a new bike without telling her 😀
The gears work, the brakes sing, the wheels turn. What more would I need? Ooops, my suspension, no idea how to set it up, so it's sag plus a bit of rebound damping adjustments.

Only clean it when I really have to, change the tyres when worn but have to have the odd fettle now and then just to keep it happy

I'm catagory 2 but I set my own suspension up.

tyres stay on till they're bald or ripped.

frame, rims and everything else covered in mud/dust (weather dependant).

gears and chain covered in gooey crap but work fine.

set up suspension once and leave it.

= dirty bike in full working order.

think i cleaned it twice over the summer and that was just a hose without any soap/sponges.

Rigid single speed. There's really not much to maintain. When I did have gears they usually didn't work right. Changing gear ratio now takes all day.

Ghetto tubeless; so I *could* change the tyres if I wanted to, but it would be royal pain. Best left alone.

So (2).

What's it got to do with you anyway….