[Closed] is your bike tip top...or just functional?

Sorry Al, complete opposite. Love having it all optimised.

tip top for me. I get really twitchy and quite OCD if anything gets too ratty

^ Im with taz.

Jumped on one of the bikes last night and managed about 500 yrds before a creak was driving me nuts. SO spun around and grabbed a different bike and went out.

This evening have just swapped the NDS SQT BB cup out for a new plastic one as the alloy one I had was so old and worn it wasnt tightening onto the BB shell properly.

Shall be going out on it in half an hour much happier.

Functional; it's just a tool and has a job to do, no points for shiny blingy, it's about the ride, not the carpark.

Ride it into the ground, I had damaged stantions on my forks and just rode them into the ground over 12 months, they where so goosed the stanchion had worn down to the cartridge 🙂

As op,everything is ridden into the ground,everytime.Wheel bearings are gone at the mo,still survived the Dyfi yesterday.......

ride it, break it, replace it

My bikes cost me a fortune, a few hours spent tinkering to keep them tip top is not only satisfying when on the next ride but strangely enjoyable at the same time.
Plus it gives you a good excuse to buy all those one time only use tools you could never justify buying.

I can't abide creaks, squeaks and wobbles. I mostly ride big remote loops, so ignoring maintenance can be at least inconvenient, at worst downright dangerous.

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Tip top - I don't like mechanicals & a worn drive train just sucks way sooner fore than for many!

Hardly ever wash mine so wouldn't want to get my hands dirty messing with them.............

I appear to have got mine in such finely tuned working order that I've stopped riding it for fear of messing it up 😕

I'm certainly not into bling, but everything is checked thoroughly on a Sunday night after a hard weeks riding and if something is worn out/broken/suspect, then its gets changed

I hate riding and hearing creaks or groans from bearings, or gears not working perfectly

Moreover - i'm so not OCD as my car is a shit heap and i'm not tidy in any way possible at home or work

There is nothing worse than mechanical's when out riding. Yes, it does happen, but i get so embarrassed when its me and i'm holding the group up

Or worst still, when its non-repairable and there is a long walk home

I done a big check on Saturday night in preparation for the Gorrick 100 and found a huge crack in my frame. Several hours of manic bike building of spare play bike allowed me to enter

I would have been gutted if had the frame failed catastrophically during the race

Biking is my passion so it must be right!!

All works, nothing more. Although I think I may have finally trashed a Shimano BB after almost 18 months in the Peak District. Shock bushes are fairly sloppy too, but I'm not going to bother replacing them until I can afford to get my shock serviced too, no point in having it unridable twice when I could delay it a bit and just have it out of commission for a week or so. Would probably be different if I had another bike.

Though tip top is nice, entropy is always going to win in the end~ todays bike is tomorrows mineral deposit~ I battle where I can, but the war is not for winning.

everything mechanically tip top, but not fancy. It is of course much easier to keep this way when hardly using the bike 🙁

Cant be riding with worn wobbly bearings - drives me crazy but potential for much more expensive problems. I also find that even if i am not going to ride it, i cannot stand having a bike 'non-functional'!

perhaps a little OCD...

I am of the ride it so long as the play in the wheel bearings aint going to cause the whole race to collapse or wear out a new set of front pads. Check the frame over every good clean and mainly pick worst of crud from round jockey wheels and derailleurs and clean and lube the chain and also clean any mud from stanchions of forks and little bit of fork lube/grease every now and again. BB get attention when its stiff as does the headset.
Obviously if its going to be a big day in wilderness I check every nut, bolt and bearing the day before as I would hate to ruin a long drive and full days riding by reducing it to a long walk.

Oddly, Ive never had wobbly bearings. dunno why.

I dont have wobbly sus bearings/bushes as I dont have a FS, but also no wheel has ever gone flakey on me.

I did have the chain off for a petrol clean and re-lube this afternoon. Isnt it always the way, you have the chain all clean, half way through applying the wallet-puckeringly expensive "Brazilian Virgins' Quim Juice" lube to the chain and you find a twisted link. And no spare 1/8" links to mend it with. New chain out of the box time... 🙁

Tip-Top (ish)

They cost enough to start with so no point riding a £2000 bike around and having the ride spoilt by a 50p bearing. The flip side of that is I don't ride my 'nice' bikes if it's muddy, that's what the rigid SS 29er's for and that's just kept functional, mainly because all it takes is new brake pads every few weeks, CK BB and hope hubs seem to roll on indefinitely.

Enjoy the fettling and tweaking (not as much as the riding, mind), and I'm a serial part buyer/seller who tends to replace things when something lighter/better becomes available.

"Fashion victim" is the term, probably.

If its not noisy it doesnt worry me but a noisy bike annoys the hell out of me ( noises it shouldnt be making)

My ragley needs bb stripping out and ti preped as its groaning

All my other bikes are sweet.

Not clean but running aweet 🙂

wallet-puckeringly expensive "Brazilian Virgins' Quim Juice"

what you need is some "dirty stokey scutter juice" much cheaper, works just as well but smells of warm fish yoghurt

Mechanically tip top when it comes to bearings, gears brakes and cables. Not too fussy with chain and frame.
I cant stand having worn bits, and for the few quid it costs to keep them in fine fettlle I can be more confident that they wont let me down in use.
Well maintained is not the same as bling. Well maintained is knowing how to use allen keys, spanners and grease.

You know when people wax lyrical about using chainsaw oil on their bikes?

"scutter juice" is what Im thinking.

Doity, doity people.

Bit of both - ride it in to the ground then spend money sorting it out and replace with relatively good quality replacements.

Anybody else noticed that the people with mechanicals are those that are constant fettlers? My theory is that every time you adjust something you're introducing a change and therefore something is more likely to fail.

Interestingly enough its my front Pro2 hub bearing on the brake side that has died twice in a year and the last one was an SKF- but i will admit to some over zealous jet washing over the winter. Resorted to £1.87 replacements from local bearing suppliers now as they last the same length of time as SKF when abused. 😉

Anybody else noticed that the people with mechanicals are those that are constant fettlers

funnily enough all the guys I ride with that have catastrophic bike fails when in the middle of nowhere are those that eke out every last bit of wear from their kit and then act all surprised when it lets go. (they are also the ones who never bring a decent tool kit either) 😆

I'm a tip topper. My ride time is limited and the last thing I want is to lose it due to a preventable mechanical. Staying on top of the little things mean you get better performance and life from most stuff too. With forks heading towards 1K for decent ones, I'm quite happy to mitigate replacement costs as much as I can.

That said, I'm running my SS with greater than 1% chain wear - but its an SS so I don't have to worry about shifting or chainsuck.

Also, Tazzy +1. Mostly I don't ride with people like that anymore.

I guess its finding the balance of keeping everything in a good enough state that its reliable but not having the maintenance being the main focus of your hobby.

Generally buying good quality kit and knowing how worn it is goes a long way.

I will fix it, as soon as I can usually, unless it is not *needed*.
e.g. I have a rear brake with some air in at present and it *sometimes* needs a few pumps of the lever after being on the car or a long climb to work tip top.
I do fix, repair and use stuff as long as possible though - £'s per mile count...

tip top-ish. i like to have my gears tuned and my suspension plush if there is a worn bearing then i will replace it (in time)

So if i can fix it for free (tune up) i will.

Everything works, and works perfectly. Gears simply can't rub (and why would they with barrel adjusters on the bars) no wear in the bearings and brakes obviously must work. I tend to keep it fairly clean as well as Ive found that clean bikes tend to work better and you can spot what's going wrong before it explodes mid ride.

Transapp +1

I really should get around to replacing those spokes in my back wheel. Been nearly three years now...

Mine gets soo bad and makes such a racket before I fix it. At least you can hear where I am on the trail with my creaky bb.....

transapp - Member
I tend to keep it fairly clean as well as Ive found that clean bikes tend to work better and you can spot what's going wrong before it explodes mid ride

Spot on

I do notice that people who tinker for the sake of tinkering (e.g. hiding from the wife) generally have more minor mechanicals when out riding

The people who do not take care of their bikes have the dreaded 'ride killers' more often!

Mc - maintenance couldn't have prevented those mechanicals?

Stoner - twisted links can be straightened.

My bikes all work pretty well, but I don't mind a bit of overshifting to get a bit more life out of a mech, and I'm happy to re fit say a re packed but imperfect headset or BB bearing.

Seems environmentally sound to do so, a big part of cycling for me.

Only got one bike, which has been built to be as simple and reliable as possible, minimum maintenance, maximum mileage, minimum cost - works for me.

Your pride and joy should be a pleasure to ride, not a chore. So im a tip topper.

Mechanically 100% however not at all fussed about scuffs/scrapes etc - sort of the bike equivalent of a rat rod...

decent but not mollycoddled, here

(I do use "chainsaw oil" 😳 on my SS chain sometimes but found it tends to froth when I'm pushing extra hard)

it tends to froth when I'm pushing extra hard)

Just a good quote to take out of context, that's all 🙂

Dunno about context matey, don't know much about it at all - taz sends it to me impregnated into some sort of lacy fabric

Since doing my cytech course last year I now strip both my ribble and 5 often.

Even down to truing my wheels every couple of weeks.

Very &nal I know but I love it

I like my bikes to run well, but I'm not bothered if it is 100% clean, all the time. I go through stages with wrenching, some times I get into it, and sometimes I do the bare minimum.

Working in a bike shop has definitely made me more anal about looking after my bikes, but I am a disgrace compared to some of the other guys! Difference is I actually ride mine 😉

I go through love-hate phases with fettling. Sometimes my bike will be pristine, everything clean / oiled and gears adjusted well. Other times I simply can't be bothered with the hassle of it all and it just gets thrown into the garage.

Recently I've decided that certain things require more work than others. Right now I'm of the opinion that a well-maintained drivetrain is worth the time spent on it, and frame pivots / shock bushings get replaced ASAP when they're not right. On the other hand, wheel bearings and Hollowtech BBs will be replaced when I get around to it, a bit of slop doesn't really do any harm or slow me down.

Absolutely 100%. I don't accept anything less than perfect.

[img]taz sends it to me impregnated into some sort of lacy fabric[/img]

I've got to do something with my used mankinis

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Mine is far from tip top but it works pretty well generally. My bike takes a beating so I don't see the point of trying to make it look pristine. I don't really understand how some people can keep a mountain bike so perfect, I guess they must keep it away from rocks. 😉

Suspension linkage bearings need replacing though, when I finally get round to it.

Everything in tip top conditon - the bike is filthy and cheapbits / scratched battered in places but every moving part moves as smoothly and with as little play as a brand new unit. Has to run silent as well. Obsessive about it. Every bearing checked every ride.

As long as it rolls.. Use reliable kit and know how to fix stuff so don't tend to have any issues.

It mostly works ok but often looks a bit haggard as i tend to use parts til they break. I can't stand play in hubs, spongy brakes or gears that skip though.

Mine doesn't really ever get too bad.. but I would dearly like to be more fastidious about maintenance..

TJ...why? You imply it's irrational.

I just ride mine, sqeaks and imperfections give a bike character.

I enjoy the maintenance side almost as much as the riding but I don’t think I am obsessive.
Would rather try to fix a problem on the side of the trail than spent an hour or so riding with an irritating noise or small mechanical problem bugging me, so if it can be fixed before the ride, then its one less thing to think about.
Proper planning and preparation prevents piss poor performance...or something like that.

I never ever want to fix a problem trailside - I want to be riding hence obsessive levels of maintenance

It depends on the part. A worn fork station I would ride into the ground.

A worn chain that would kill chain rings and cassettes prematurely I would replace.

I'm happy to do maintenance, in fact I enjoy it.
+1 for what TJ said above.

my bikes are tip top working order. i cant stand anything not being that way. i can feel when my bike is wrong 🙂

I clean mine after every ride & always check the chain & brake pads post ride,hopefully this is the time I pick up any problems.
This years major maintainance task was fitting new shifter cables,they'd been on the bike since 2007,never had any shifting problems & I always make sure the gears are indexing properly, until I changed the cables I never realised how semi-seized the originals were.. I do tend to ride things into the ground though.

cynic-al - Member
Mc - maintenance couldn't have prevented those mechanicals?

Does eating fewer cakes count as conscientious maintenance?

Fair enough about not wanting trail side repairs...but, for instance, some play in a hub bearing will never require one.

Fair enough about not wanting trail side repairs...but, for instance, some play in a hub bearing will never require one.

I would say i'm a tip-topper. Like others i can't stand sloppy bearings or badly running drivetrains. I check the chain on each bike every time i ride it and replace it if it is reaching 0.75% stretch - i've just had to replace the cassette on my most used bike which has been on for two yrs.
I have two Marins, so have lifetime bearing warranties on the frames and i suspect (with no evidence) that running the bike with sloppy bearings will damage the frame.
Same with shock bushings, have to be replaced as soon as there is play.
Mind you, the original headset on my big bike was recently replaced and i was surprised how degraded it actually was - rusted and bone dry!
Some parts just 'go' and you feel it/need to replace it right away. Others just slowly degrade and it takes a good while to notice - headset bearings and gear cables are this for me.
I have arthritic thumbs so when it gets painful to shift i fit new cables 😆

TINAS if you live with that level of sensitivity, anxiety and irrationality in your life, fair enough.

i like my bikes tip top mechanically, no wobbly bearings, or squeaks/rattles.
but i use a chain/cassette/chainring until completely shagged, then replace the whole lot.
dont worry too much about how clean my bike is thou, as long as its not dripping mud/chain oil/dogshit onto the carpet its fine.

it's far easier to replace them at the first sign of grittyness than to ride round fo ages with a niggling feeling they could fail at any moment followed by a wasted evening trying to remove their remains with a heat gun?

I don't have the niggling feeling at all. They're really not likely to instantly fail. I would still get them sorted out when I get round to it but no need to fret over it IMO.

I also suspect that for some people it's obsessive 'maintenance' that actually creates problems with their bikes (which means even more 'maintenance').

It's obvious to me when a bike part (say a bearing) is not running smoothly. At that point it gets sorted. I like my stuff to work. Its that simple. part of the enjoyment is a good bike. A very expensive bike that's badly maintained, to me, is crap bike.
You buy oversized headtubes/fors, 20mm bolt throughs, maxle rear ends, super slick 10speed xtr, run it with gore cables..... then you're happy to have a sloppy pivot / wheel bearing. Where's the sense in that?

TINAS if you live with that level of sensitivity, anxiety and irrationality in your life, fair enough.

I would still get them sorted out when I get round to it but no need to fret over it IMO

A stich in time saves 9 etc. It takes less time to change out the bearings (or service them in shimano hubs) when they first develop any play/grittyness compared to when they get so bad you're forced to do them, the difference being that the day you're forced to do them always seems to be the only a really dry sunny day in ages!

Do you apply the same logic to your cars? Wait for the oil warning light to come on before getting a service, or leaving tyres and brakes untill the MOT man fails them?

You're comparing 2 extremes, the practical solution imo, lies somewhere in between.

Do you apply the same logic to your cars? Wait for the oil warning light to come on before getting a service, or leaving tyres and brakes untill the MOT man fails them?

You've never bought a car off a mechanic have you.......

I genuinely enjoy the servicing side of it. I don't do things obsessively but I'll spend a couple of hours cleaning it afterwards. Regular maintenance includes seatpost servicing, fork servicing etc but this isn't done religously. I hate riding my bike when I haven't cleaned and checked it over, just like to know that its 'just right'

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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/neil853/7157128186/ ]Clean LTc[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/neil853/ ]99c5faa01725362d73494aff686e3664[/url], on Flickr

** WORLDCLASSACCIDENT to the forum please!! **

My best bikes are kept in frighteningly good nick I'm mechanically very sympathetic and love fettling but detest bling. My DH bike is maintained to spaceship standards.

The hack bike is reliable, safe & functional - no more.

i recently got asked how far i rode in to work in the morning as my bike is always so clean - from the other guy in the office that rides on a bike thats so caked you cant tell what it is ...

turns out i do about 3 times the distance but i hose my bike off once a week and check the tires for cuts and debris and chain tension/brakes....

he just buys a new bike once his drive train is shot !

You've never bought a car off a mechanic have you.......

I bought a Midget off a guy who'd rebuilt it on a new shell, I've spent the last 3 years wondering why I just assumed he'd have replaced all the other buggered bits as well!