A full bike service at home takes about an hour and needs far less kit than a workshop. The products that matter are a bike cleaner for the frame, a degreaser for the drivetrain, a chain lube for the weather you ride in and a grease for threads and bearings. Brushes and rags do the rest.
The home service kit
| Job | Product |
|---|---|
| Frame, wheels and tyres | Bicycle Cleaner |
| Chain, cassette and chainrings | Chain Cleaner and degreaser |
| Chain lube, wet weather | Bike X Lube |
| Chain lube, dry weather; forks and dropper posts | Bike DryLube |
| Threads, seatpost, bearings | Multi-Use Grease |
| Disc rotors contaminated by oil | Brake and Parts Cleaner |
Add a stiff brush, an old toothbrush, a bucket, two clean rags and a work stand or somewhere to hang the bike. For value, buy the cleaner and degreaser first: they are what most home services skip, and a clean drivetrain makes every lube last longer.
Step by step
- Rinse off loose mud with a gentle hose. Don't use a pressure washer on bearings.
- Spray the frame and wheels with bike cleaner, leave it a few minutes, brush and rinse.
- Spray the chain, cassette, chainrings and derailleur jockey wheels with chain cleaner. Scrub with a brush while turning the pedals backwards, then rinse or wipe clean.
- Dry the bike, paying most attention to the chain. Water left in the rollers dilutes new lube.
- Lube the chain: one drop per roller on the inside, turn the cranks, leave 10 minutes, wipe the outside.
- Put a drop of lube on derailleur pivots, brake lever pivots and cable ends where they enter the housing.
- If you remove pedals, the seatpost or any bolts, grease the threads before refitting. See where to grease a bike.
- Check brake pads for wear and make sure no lube or grease has reached the rotors or rims. If it has, clean them with brake cleaner; oily pads usually need replacing.
- Check tyre pressures and look over the tyres for cuts.
How often
In winter, a quick clean and re-lube every week or two of regular riding, and a full service like this monthly. In summer, every six to eight weeks is usually enough. Wipe the chain after every wet ride.
Keep lube off the brakes
The one mistake that costs money is lube or degreaser on disc pads or rim braking surfaces. Cover the rotor or remove the wheel when spraying the drivetrain, and apply lube with the bike turned so drips fall away from the brakes.
More detail: how to clean a bike chain and choosing a bike chain lubricant.
