When it comes to bicycle maintenance, one of the most important parts that should not be overlooked is the drivetrain. The bicycle drivetrain should be always clean and lubricated as a contaminated drivetrain increases wear on your components which eventually will lead to poor gear shifting and may result in a non-enjoyable bike ride. Bicycle maintenance may seem pretty straightforward, however, there are certain steps that need to be taken to ensure everything runs smoothly and without problems. Take a look at our tips on how to care for your drivetrain and why it’s so important.
Cleaning
As you clean the other parts of your bike, from time to time, make sure to softly wipe down the drivetrain with a cloth as well. If you see a little bit of mud, wipe it straight away as it can remove the grease over time which can result in a not-so-smooth of a ride. Keeping water out of the bicycle drivetrain will increase its longevity as that way it will stay rust-free. Use a brush with stiff bristles to get rid of the tiniest specks of dirt on parts like chainrings, the inside of derailleur plates, and the jockey wheels. Put a degreaser on every conjugating part with a paintbrush for a more thorough cleaning and rinse it with warm water after 5 minutes.
Lubricating
After you have cleaned the drivetrain, the next thing to do is lubricate it. However, first, make sure that every component is well dried. A simple and straightforward way would be to cover every part with oil until it’s dripping, however, to ensure you use the oil right and not waste it you will have to apply drops of it. So, yes, put a drop on every roller of the drivetrain, and then proceed to do the same thing but this time on the chainset. Rotating it backward for twenty seconds while you apply the oil drop by drop will be enough for the oil to enter inside the chain rollers. If there’s any excess oil, just wipe it with a lint-free cloth. You should also do this on the springs of the derailleurs.
Check the Chain’s Length
When inspecting your chain, it’s important to have a chain wear tool with you in order to check for the tension it makes on the bicycle drivetrain. Also, you should check for wear and tear which can not only be caused by water, mud or dirt but from the friction of the chain as well. You should also consider changing the chain past every 1000km but if you have a more expensive drivetrain – changing it between 2000 km and 2500 km is going to be just fine.