Choose when and where you ride

Not riding in inclement weather will greatly increase the life of your drivetrain, brakes, tires and bearings. Of course, sometimes it’s unavoidable, but if you can choose not to ride on wet, muddy, or padded gravel trails, your bike will thank you.

If it is absolutely unavoidable or planned to ride off-road, then you need to consider whether the route you choose will have water accumulation. For example, after a heavy rain, the trails and gravel roads will be wetter than the wide roads. A little adjustment to your route will Will greatly extend the service life of spare parts.

Clean your drivetrain, lubricate your chain

Keeping your drivetrain clean and lubricated can greatly increase the life of the drivetrain. As an extreme example, in the case of lack of maintenance, the entire drivetrain of the same model is covered with rust after less than 1000 kilometers of use and has to be replaced, while those who keep it clean and use high quality lubricants, only the chain You can use at least 5000 kilometers.

In order to pursue marginal benefits, people have developed different chain oils. A well-maintained chain can have a service life of more than 10,000 kilometers, while other components are far beyond this category. If you feel the chain load is rough or dry during riding, then it needs to be lubricated as soon as possible. Usually chain oil is divided into wax type (dry) and oil type (wet type). Generally speaking, wax type chain oil is not easy to stain and is suitable for drying. environment, reduce chain wear; oily chain oil is suitable for wet environments, with stronger adhesion, but it is easy to get dirty.

Checking the chain wear and tension in time is another important point to protect the transmission system. Before your chain wears and becomes longer, you need to replace it in time, so as not to speed up the wear of the flywheel and the disc, or break and cause unpredictable damage. A chain ruler is usually required to confirm whether the chain is stretched. Some brands of chains come with a chain ruler, which needs to be replaced immediately when the chain exceeds the stretch warning line.

Implement preventive maintenance

The drivetrain is just one part of the bike, other things like bottom brackets, headsets, hubs, etc. can also be implemented preventive cleaning and maintenance. Simple cleaning and lubrication of these often-overlooked areas, removing accumulated grit and preventing corrosion, will also greatly increase service life.

Also, if your car has moving parts like shocks or dropper posts, fine dust can get trapped under the seal and gradually damage the surfaces of those telescopic parts. Usually suppliers recommend that similar parts be serviced at 50 or 100 hours of use, and if you can’t remember when the last service was, it’s definitely time to service.

Brake pads and pads inspection

Whether you’re using disc or rim brakes, the braking surfaces will wear out over time, but taking precautions can go a long way toward improving part life. For rim brakes, this action can be as simple as cleaning your rims with a clean rag and removing any buildup from the brake pads.

For disc brakes, the most common cause of premature wear is uneven friction caused by improperly installed calipers or by warping the pads. Disc brake road kits are one of the parts most affected by supply chain shortages, and adjustments to the brakes can have a huge impact on wear and braking performance. Usually, when the thickness of the pad is less than 1mm, the pad can be replaced. In addition, don’t forget that the disc will eventually wear out. Checking the relevant parts in time can find the problem as soon as possible.

When the parts do reach the replacement, you find that the products of the same model are already out of stock. At this time, you need to find a more advanced or downgraded compatible product to replace. It’s also an opportunity for you to learn about the part compatibility you need and see if there’s a low-end or high-end part that can be substituted.

For example, road chainrings are a classic example. Starting at 11 speeds, Shimano Ultegra chainrings can be swapped out on almost any Shimano crankset. Cassettes and chains are another example where speed matching can be safely upgraded or downgraded regardless of grade. Usually for the drivetrain, other parts of the same brand and the same speed can be mixed, such as 105 cranks with Dura-Ace chainrings. Or choose some third-party discs.