All Things Bikes and Tacos! (...and every vehicle imaginable)

Not enough haha. Depends on how dirty it is and if it’s cold outside tbh.

I do clean my drivetrain out maybe every 10ish rides depending on how dirty it is. Clean out the cassette, derailleur, front chainring and relube the chain. I will probably take everything off here soon and do a deeper clean, might even get one of those ultrasonic cleaners

 

Same as me. Gives me a chance to look everything over

 

I'm from Florence but I live in Colorado Springs now. I spent 2016 thru much of 2017 working at Redstone Arsenal. I did this as a bachelor so I spent a lot of time on the trails in the area. My brother just got into cycling with his teenage son but they live in Tuscumbia. Before the corona I was trying to make it out first of June to visit family and ride. I have a good friend who rides Monte Sano all the time. He has a shitload of bikes, Ibis ripley, Specialized Levo, trek stache. I guarantee you will see him or have already.

I think its called the hiker's lot but it doesn't say that on google maps. It is down near Burrit. The trails can be a little confusing even though there are technically only 2 on that side of the trail system. Arrowhead and Natural Well trails do this weird figure 8 pattern but both will end up in the same location. Arrowhead has a sweet downhill that I promise you will not see a soul on.

 

Ah ok! Be sure to let us know if you ever come back! I did those trails on my old bike but haven’t ventured to try them again since I got the new one. We explored more yesterday and found some good spots on stone cuts and Keith trail. It sucks sometimes not knowing because we end up going the wrong way. But we can basically guide folks now haha.

 

What kind of cleaner are you guys using? I was planning to give my bike a wash soon. Its a little dirty and pedaling is starting to get a little loud. Mainly just want to focus on the drive train. The rest of the bike Ill prob just use dawn dish soap and a sponge. You guys use anything on the pivots?

 

All this talk of multi-use trails has me thinking about my short ride this weekend. I tried to ride up the Rainbow trail (near Salida, CO) in reverse of the popular direction. This trail sees horses, hikers, bikers, and motos. Passed one hiker will I was pedaling up and she said "Wow you are tough" but she should have said "Wow you are dumb." She had sort of an evil grin and I found out in a few minutes what she meant. Since I was going the "wrong" direction I was trying to climb a trail that was filled with a bunch of grapefruit sized loose rocks and it kicked my ass. Though when I finally gave up, the downhill was amazing.

 

I was going to go to CO again this year.

Edit: Hopes still alive for a fall trip for the Aspens.

 

Things hopefully should calm down long before then.

 

I use white lightning or the newish wd40 bike specific degreaser. There are other healthier/more environmentally friendly options too, I think muc off and others make it. Just need to be careful with getting a degreaser into a spot grease should be in haha.

As far as noisy drivetrain, if it’s obviously dirty then it should be cleaned. If it’s not bad I just wipe the chain down then lube it up as needed. That’s usually every couple of rides depending on how dry the trails are.

 

Trails here are pretty dry. Ill order some of the muc-off stuff online then. Thanks

 

Let me know how it does! I’ve never used their cleaner but I use their lube and i like it, just doesn’t last super long.

 

Will do!

 

I just spray mine down with a garden hose if dirt is collected enough to warrant. Let dry, wipe chain with cloth, re-lube if necessary. I've never had a need for any special cleaners.

 

a wheel build that I did a few years back was DT Swiss 350 hubs laced to race face arc 30 offset rims. I had them built up by Colorado cyclist, and I had them at my door in about a week. You can modify the spokes and nipples for material and color and what not, but base price is 665 with a 66.50 discount Code SPRING at checkout. I just checked the website, and a blacked out set with black spokes and black alloy nipples will run you at 620ish. You can also upgrade the ratchet to a 36t or a 54t for 80-100 more.

these are a solid option, and a super popular setup for strength and cost. I rode the crap out of mine, and I even still run the same front wheel, I just upgraded to an I9 hub for a frame with different spacing, but the rear wheel is still straight and true to this day.

 

$700 IMHO is still a pretty dang healthy wheel budget. Hell even $500 can get you a solid set up that will be an improvement over the vast majority of OEM wheesets. Understand that you likely won't be stepping into carbon hoops for that price range. But that may not be a concern.

Colorado Cyclist has a nice wheel builder function. Play around with some configurations, you can actually put together a nice kit for the price range you've mentioned.

I've said it multiple times and I'll say it again, the Bontrager Line Comp 30 wheelset with an upgraged spring/pawl kit is just about the best bang for your buck 'everyday joe' wheelset. For under $350 you'll get a well built and reliable alloy wheelset with 108 POE/3.3* engagement and a killer warranty.

The used market is another option if you're open to that. I personally would be hesitant to buying a used carbon wheelset, but thats just me. Alloy is fair game in my book. As with anything used, just be educated on the product and ask questions. I recently acquired a very lightly used and unregistered for warranty I9 Enduro S wheelset with Hydra hubs that were in the price range you mentioned.

 

Thank you! I will look into those. I was looking at a set on Jenson yesterday.

Thank you! Non-carbon hoops is no concern for me right now. I will have to look into both of those options. Obviously i want to keep costs down, but i dont think i want to go used. Would rather keep under $500 just didnt really think that was enough for a decent wheelset.

Thats a nice score! Dont 1 of those wheels go for like $600?

 

Correct. That wheelset is just under $1k retail.

 

Pretty much just did that to my bike right now. Light spray scrubbed the frame and dirt build up area off with dawn dish washing soap. Didn’t do anything to the drivetrain since I don’t have chain lube at the moment.

 

I think 27-30mm is ideal for 2.4 and 2.5 tires. I just sold a set of 35mm internals and they are just too wide unless you want to run 2.6s and up. Most other tires are just too squared off on the 35mm wheels.

Look for a set of m1700 30mm takeoffs from a SB130 for a solid wheelset that doesnt break the bank. DT Swiss everything and the hub can be upgraded to the 54t ratchet.

https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/2732789/

 

I wash my bike after every two or three rides by spraying it down with a hose and then drying. Use the parktool chain cleaner and lube the chain again. Also use the WPL Forkbooost lube to clean and relube the o-rings. Every month or so I use the WPL bike wash spray to give it a really good cleaning and use brushes. After that I use the Maxima coating on the bike and that helps keep it clean and shiny for the next month.