Basic User Maintenance for Men’s Mountain Bikes

Men’s mountain bikes go via a great deal of dirt and mud and all of the suspension, gear and braking elements end up with lots of mud and silt deposits.  Besides corrosion from drinking water and dirt on the moving parts, the force from multiple impacts from the rough terrain takes strain on all the mountain bicycle elements.  It’s important to maintain your bicycle clean and ensure that all of the components are fastened correctly.  This can save money within the long run.

Most mountain bikes are fairly sophisticated in terms of their gearing systems.  While it is not suggested to try and service and set the gears yourself, basic care in terms of cleaning is needed and could be done safely by you.  Mountain bike gears require to be really resilient to dirt and moisture.  When fine sand and grit particles are deposited on the gears and chain of the mountain bike, they combine with drinking water and lubricants about the metal to form a type of grinding paste.  If left unattended for a number of riding sessions, the damage from constant dirt abrasion adds up and speeds up the deterioration from the gears.

It is really a good idea to use a bike stand when cleaning the bike.  This allows for simple access to parts of the frame.  The shock absorbers have to be cleaned to avoid dirt obtaining trapped in the seals and wearing them out.  To clean your bike effectively, you ought to use a regular hose pipe and soapy water.  Don’t use a high pressure hose.  Usually get rid of as much loose dirt and mud as possible with water from the hose, before wiping and scrubbing the frame and components.  Don’t scrub too difficult on the frame, the paint work could be damaged.  The gears could be gently cleaned with a tooth brush to get rid of mud stuck in hard to reach places.  Use the pedals to run the chain backwards and forwards via the cassette and remove any dirt you see.  It’s important to not spray drinking water directly into the bearings.  This will strip away the lubrication and grease required to maintain them running smooth.

As soon as the bike has been cleaned and dried, you have to lubricate all joints and pivot points.  Use only recommended lubricants on your gear sprockets.  There’s a lot of debate over what type of lubrication your chain requires.  If the lubricant is as well sticky, it attracts more dirt and this wears out your chain quicker.  Some cyclists use old motor oil to lubricate the mountain bike chain, claiming that it has the right balance of properties to repel moisture and keep the chain lubricated, without having attracting as well a lot dirt.