Just getting started?

Here's a letter I wrote to my brother just after he got a new bike. Nothing personal in it, but a lot of stuff that I've figured out over the years. Maybe it'll save somebody time, pain, and money. Also, don't forget to check out some of the cool stuff that works and can be found for cheap
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John-

More stuff on bikes, just a whole list of small items I find useful.

On chain lube: everyone's gone crazy over dry lubes, but having burned up a drivetrain on them, I say they're crap. So does [name omitted], a friend I road bike with who has a BS (MIT) and PhD (Ga Tech) in mech engineering. Here's what I use ([omitted] used to use Pedro's synthetic wet lube, but has since switched to mine): a 50-50 mix of "Slick 50" (find it in the auto lube section at Wal-Mart, about $18 a quart) and 90 wt. outboard gear grease (about $4 a quart). $22 sounds like a lot to shell out, but it's cheap for 2 quarts of lube when you compare to $8 for a 6 oz bottle at a bike store. And it's way cheaper than a new drive train. OK, mix the two parts 50-50, lay out some newspaper on the floor and between the chain and back wheel, dribble it on while pedaling backwards. Let it soak in a minute, then wipe it ALL off, every bit you can. The only part you want to leave is inside the pins and rollers, which you can't get to with a rag anyway. Whenever the chain's dirty, use a brush on it first to knock the crap off so it doesn't get floated into the chain's bearing surfaces (get one of those Park brushes, or an old toothbrush will work). It usually comes off as oil-dampened grit. If it doesn't, you're not wiping off enough initially.

When it gets really skungy, you'll have to degrease the whole drivetrain, but this is maybe a once-every-5-big-rides job. I think there's a write-up on that the thin mtb book I gave you (but I usually don't remove the wheels, nor do I have a stand like they recommend). Just don't shoot any high pressure water spray directly at the bearing seals; this can force water, or worse yet, degreaser, into the works.

Lets see, the shopping list-- and I'm not saying "go buy today", just keep it around and pick these things up as you need them. Or maybe you'll find other things that work better for you. In any case, these are the things I've settled on over the years.

• Helmet.
• bottles & cages (half-check -- you'll need 2 to get past the parking lot -- get another one).
• trail tool kit (that Park one I showed you)
• a spare tube; sometimes the rip's too big to patch
• CO2 inflator (Innovations in Cycling Superflate or Ultraflate -- they use the cheap unthreaded CO2's, about $8 for 25). Cheaper, better, faster than any mini-pump. Fits presta or schrader valves without any adapters or even adjustment. Fits in your pocket, out of the dirt.
• gloves. I like Fox Longhorns, but use what works for you.
• kevlar spoke
• toilet paper in a zip-loc. One day you'll really want it.
• In cool weather, a $2 mylar space blanket. Keep it in the ziploc too.
• Glasses, either prescription or appropriately tinted sunglasses. "Beats a poke in the eye with a sharp stick" isn't an idle saying.
• some sort of under-seat bag, or maybe a water-pack with a cargo bag. Just big enough to hold the tools and tube.
• external, removable seals (Lizard Skins is the brand name here, but there are others, including homemade, that work fine). They keep the worst 98% of grit away from the real seals, and greatly extend component life. At a minimum, get one for the lower headset and one for the rear shock. These are both expensive parts that tend to get crud-blasted. After that, maybe one for the upper headset, and one for the chainstay if you want to get fancy.

• floor pump. Get a Silca basic model with a reversible chuck.
• chain brush; Park makes one with a comb for getting between cogs.
• a 4-5-6mm Y-wrench -- with this and a screwdriver, you'll be able to adjust or replace 80% of the stuff on your bike.
• citrus degreaser. Finish Line makes a good one that cuts even the chain lube I wrote about above.
• some kind of dry or semi-dry lube for your cables. They don't take the beating the chain does, so you can use a dry lube to avoid attracting dirt here. Also, a little bottle will last a long time if you're just using it for this.
• chain checker tool. As chains wear, the spacing between the pins gets longer. In turn, the chain wears the cogs and rings to fit the worn pin spacing. Finally, the chain breaks completely, you put on a new chain, and the old cogs don't mesh with it. But, if you change the chain before the old one's completely worn out, you can get about 4 times the life out of a set of cogs and rings. A lot of people say "let'em all wear in together, replace them all at once". This is crap, because even a marginally worn chain will make shifting sloppy long before the rest of the parts are significantly worn. It's also really expensive to do things this way. Check your chain, swap it out whenever stretch gets near the red zone or whatever the checker indicates as worn. In this sandy grit around here, I get about 300 miles/chain; in your clay soil, you may get 500 miles/chain.
• And when you do replace a chain, get a Sachs M-55 or PC-61. Shimano chains just aren't as good. Ignore the "USE ONLY SHIMANO PARTS" warnings. Watch out if you've got a new 9-speed.
• And don't forget to join IMBA.

Enough for now. Off to lunch. -Rob