General Uni and Equip maintenance

As the title says, what regular maintenance do you carry out on your
uni?
Also, how do you wash your smelly gloves/661s?
Apologies if this has been posted before, just thought it would be a
good thread to share ideas/procedures etc.
J


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Regular maintenance:- None. As long as you store them inside so they're
dry, you only need to fix things that break, like if your wheel is
loose, or cranks or whatever.

Cleaning pads, put them in the washing machine, but inside a sock. You
need a big rugby sock (or whatever sport wears big socks in the US) to
put big pads inside. Same with gloves.

Joe


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Perfect timing. I neglect my unis so badly.

Waiting for helpful responses.


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Into the blue wrote:
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Ants make me UPD.
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Unibugg wrote:
Perfect timing. I neglect my unis so badly.

Waiting for helpful responses.


What specifically are requiring help on*???*


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I hardly do anything too them except check the tire pressure. I suppose
I should be:

checking the cranks (but how often? every ride?) How do I know they
are tight enough but not too tight?

cleaning it off more (lots of sand around here). Just blowing air on
it from an air compressor to remove visible sand enough?

If I've ridden on the beach, anything special I should do afterwards?
I don't often ride on the beach but if I do, my son says I should be
taking stuff apart after a beach ride and cleaning it all off.
Hmmm.....

Any possibility the seat will get stuck in one position if I don't
adjust it now and then?

Anything special if it has gotten extra wet from riding in the rain or
mud?

I just noticed yesterday that my Exiwolf tire has a bald spot. I
wonder if it is from practicing idling, or is it from when I was
learning to turn more efficiently. The bald spot is on the middle of
the tire not anywhere near the sides. I know it can't be from storage
because if it is in the garage I use the stand; in my trunk and it lays
flat. My just now noticing it makes me really think I've not been
paying attention to stuff I should.


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Into the blue wrote:
You should see this fella ride up kerbs. He makes it look annoyingly
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Ants make me UPD.
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If your tire has a bald spot it is because you don't to either tire or
crank rotations every couple of months. Shame on you! The rotations
will add much life on to your tire and you will avoid the slight
Kangaroo effect that you get when one part of the tire is worn away.
Also very important is to check that your wheel is true. Bring the uni
to a bike shop every half a year for wheel trueing if you don't think
that you can do it yourself. You should also make sure that all bolts
are tight every few rides. This is how plenty of seat bases break. One
or two of the bolts loosen and fall off and then all of the pulling
force is put on only one bolt or axis. Those are the main maintenance
tasks with Unis. In summation.

1) Tire or Crank rotations every couple of months.
2) Making sure that your wheel is true.
3) Making sure that all bolts are tight.

Unicorn


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Unibugg wrote:
cleaning it off more (lots of sand around here). Just blowing air on it
from an air compressor to remove visible sand enough?


Compressed air can blow dirt further into the uni just as easily as it
can blow dirt out. I'd avoid using it.



If I've ridden on the beach, anything special I should do afterwards? I
don't often ride on the beach but if I do, my son says I should be
taking stuff apart after a beach ride and cleaning it all off.


The critical parts (bearings) are sealed against dirt and moisture. If
you get salt water on anything, hose it off and let it dry in the
sun... that's all I'd worry about.



Any possibility the seat will get stuck in one position if I don't
adjust it now and then?


Sure, but it'd take a while for the metal to corrode that badly. I
wipe my seatpost with a light oil / protectant before inserting it
simply because it makes adjustment easier... that should protect
against corrosion as well.



Anything special if it has gotten extra wet from riding in the rain or
mud?


...just dry it, that's all!


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rotate cranks/tyre keep everything nice and tight,

true your wheel... dont leave it outside...

Well everything i dont do really, except the outside bit.


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Thanks - we are building a good thread here
I have been rotating my tire, checking a few bolts here and there,
maintaining tire pressure... thats about it! Oh, i never leave it
outside... it stays in my room.
Thanks for the tip on washing the gloves... my KH Pulse totally stink!
I'm surprised my friend even put them on her hands! they are currently
in the wash inside a sock... just gotta hope no red dye comes out of
them or mum wont be too happy!


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Unicorn wrote:
If your tire has a bald spot it is because you don't to either tire or
crank rotations every couple of months. Shame on you!



Oops... that sounds like something I read about way back when I first
started riding again last March but totally dismissed and looked for
"fun" threads. Ok. I swear I am not a dingbat, well maybe I am
when it comes to maintaining b*kes, unis, and cars. So... please give
me crank rotation 101 and tire rotation 101. Tire rotation... um..
there is only one tire... so... um.. I guess you mean for that tire to
come off flip it so the left is on the right and the right is on the
left. (Is that what you mean?

Crank rotation... you got me there. I have no idea what or why this is
all about.


Unicorn wrote:
Also very important is to check that your wheel is true. Bring the uni
to a bike shop every half a year for wheel trueing if you don't think
that you can do it yourself.



Sounds like a job for my LBS. I wonder if he did it yesterday. I
picked it up at closing and the guy who worked on it had left. I'll
make sure to ask him when I get the LX back.

Thanks for the summation. Keeps it simple for me.



maestro8 wrote:
Compressed air can blow dirt further into the uni just as easily as it
can blow dirt out. I'd avoid using it.



This makes sense. Note to self, no more air compressor!
Thanks.


Hosing it off and letting it dry sounds a lot better than what my son
was telling me. Using a light oil on the seatpost sounds like a good
idea too.


My unis are ALWAYS stored inside. Inside my trunk or garage.
Who could leave a uni outside?
Do some people REALLY leave them outside?
In the heat and rain and snow and dust and with all the critters of the
night poking around it and building webs inside it. Tsk Tsk.


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Into the blue wrote:
You should see this fella ride up kerbs. He makes it look annoyingly
easy.
Ants make me UPD.
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