Tweet

How to mud-proof your bike!

What you need

• Bike Stand (makes it much easier)
• Basic maintenance/repair Toolkit
• Waterproof/resistant grease
• Degreaser
• Chain Lube
• Workshop Towel

In this 2-parter, our mechanical guru, Richard Fox, will be sharing some helpful tips for preparing your mountain bike for that summer holiday on home turf, or that long Welsh/Scottish/Peak District (delete as appropriate) ride which fills you with the dread as you imagine the sound of grating components and cracking metal or carbon in the middle of nowhere. Let’s face it, even though its summer in the UK, it rains. Make the most of the warmth by getting your bike ready to take on the wet, and win!

If you’re the sort of person who regularly cleans, services and breaks down your bike then maybe this advice column will be like teaching granny to suck eggs. (But let’s face it, most people aren’t!) A wet British summer can be tough on bike components, so here’s some tips about how best to limit the damage.

It rains in the UK, and when it rains, there’s mud. The mud and grit brought up by wheel spray and emersion in puddles and streams combine to form a damaging grinding paste akin to that used in car body repairs. If you’re riding a long endurance event like the Trans Wales, or just going on a weekend riding break, then in a short space of time the bike will endure immense wear and tear. And with a bit of climbing thrown in, it means your bike is being worn down under a fair amount of torque. The aim of this article is to highlight the important checks which should be done, both regularly throughout the year, but more importantly a few weeks before you go out for that long summer ride.

Checks and Servicing

This is a check list covering the main areas for basic pre-ride maintenance:

 

1. Cleaning. Start with a clean bike! Make sure the bike is clean and dry before you start otherwise you might introduce dirt and water into internals.

2. Drive train. It is best to remove the cassette so the freehub body can be inspected and tested for play and smooth running. (Click here for a Cyclist No. 1 article explaining how to do this). Clean the rear cassette, which is much easier when it’s in pieces; unless you use a  specialist brush. I picked up a Purple Harry "bike cleaning Floss" and its very good and reuasble. The freehub body can be lightly greased before replacing it.

Clean and check the chain. If you can break it using a quick link (spares can be taken on the ride in case of chain breaks) then you can soak in degreaser. If not, you can use a chain cleaning device.

Use a chain checker to measure the distance between links. If the wear is 0.75mm or greater then change the chain, but if it’s over 1.0mm then you may have to change the whole chain set as the new chain will probably skip on worn sprockets and chain rings. Unless the sprockets and chain rings are severely worn you may not notice the wear unless the chain is slipping. Current thinking is that a badly stretched chain may accelerate wear in a sprocket/chain ring teeth.

If the chain wear is over 1.0mm then you may have to change the whole chain set as the new chain will probably skip on worn sprockets and chain rings...

Clean and check chain rings and bottom bracket – (see the Cyclist No. 1 article explaining how to do this). If you can remove the cranks then you can clean the bottom bracket internals and check the bearings (if external), or check for any play. Grease the axle and replace the cranks after cleaning.

3. Suspension. Make sure you have recently cleaned the seals on the front forks and shock, if you have one. Perhaps think about either doing your own seal and oil service or sending it to a service centre like LOCO tuning or TF Tuned. It is also a good idea to check for play in the bushings by pulling on your front brake and rocking the bike to and fro to see if there is any movement (see previous CNO1 articles on this). Also, if you are planning a long ride with a lot of climbing, it may be worth adding a little more preload /air for a firmer ride to assist in climbing efficiency.  On your trip, try and remember to turn the bike upside down for an hour or so to lubricate the upper seals and any foam rings.

On your trip, try and remember to turn the bike upside down for an hour or so to lubricate the upper seals and any foam rings...

Finally, check that the pivot bearings are not impregnated with mud and rust. They can be checked by removing one of the shock mounting bolts and allowing the frame and wheel to pivot up and down to see if they are free moving and if they feel rough or gritty.

4. Indexing.  Are your gears shifting well? If not think about why. Do the cables need changing (outers can become worn and increase friction, meaning shifting to a harder gear is delayed or not even happening)? If so, it is better do this a few weeks before your trip. Even pre-stretched cables will stretch, and the indexing will go out. Lubricate the shifters’ internals.

5. Lubrication. Chain lubrication is one of those controversial things, but a good rule of thumb in most situations is that if it is dry and dusty use a dry lube or chain wax to stop the dust sticking. In wet and muddy conditions an extreme high viscosity lube is best to prevent the lube from being washed away. During our British summers, a good idea is to start out with a light chain oil and take a small bottle of extreme wet lube with you so you can top up in bad weather or if you get chain suck.  Also remember to use a light lubricant to oil jockey pulleys, derailleur pivots and clipless pedal release mechanisms.

Also remember to use a light lubricant to oil jockey pulleys, derailleur pivots and clipless pedal release mechanisms...

6. Wheels and tyres. Are your drive bearings running smoothly? If you have hope hubs then have a look at our hub service articles: Front & Rear. If they are running roughly or there is play, these may fail or cause issues with disc brake alignment. Also are your tyres and inner tubes in tiptop condition? It may be best to think of a tyre that is best in all round conditions. Also, tyre pressures can be very important. 40psi will help up the climbs and may help to resist puncture/pinches, but 30psi may give you more grip and be a softer ride (but will be much more prone to punctures).

7. Contact Points. Make sure your bike setup is comfy on long rides. We would go for comfortable lock-on grips (especially for wet weather) and suitable, self clearing clipless pedals in addition to your favoured saddle. Check you cleats for wear. Make sure the interfaces between your seat rails and clamp, and seatpost and seat tube are clean to reduce the chance of those annoying creaks!

8. Brakes. Make sure they have been bled recently and are in good condition. Check for leaking seals (lever and calliper) and put fresh pads in a few weeks before to bed them in. Scintered pads are probably best. If you have organics / kevlars then take spare sets.

9. Steering. Are your headset bearings running smoothly. Have you cleaned them out recently? (Click here to read our CNo1 article on how to do this).

Tips & Tricks

If you can’t get your chain off think about investing in a chain cleaner. These can be mounted on the chain and slowly turned to remove the muck and grease of the chain . Also make sure you take some quick links in your pack for emergency chain joining.

Some people opt for sealed cable systems. The cheaper option is to go for full length outers on your cables to shield the inside from dirt and water.  However, the sealed cable systems like those available from Gore and Transfil are much more expensive but once fitted allow for slicker shifting and a longer time between servicing.

The Shimano XTR cable set, seen below, is also a good option. Although it does not have full outers the rubber grommits and plastic ferrules do manage to stop the majority of mud from enetering the cables.

If this is not an option maybe think about inline cable oilers which are metal oil ports which slide over the inner to which you can add oil to allow for slicker shifting in bad conditions and to prevent the water and mud from sticking and corroding the inner cables.

There are also oiling systems like Scottoiler. There is a main reserviour which holds the oil mounted on the seat tube and one or more plastic tubes supply oil to chosen parts of the drivetrain such as the jocky wheels/chain.

Some frames, especially ones with a large split in the seat tube, are prone to the bottom bracket filling with muddy water. This may over time make the bottom bracket bearings fail (if they are external bearing systems), especially if the frame has no drain hole of the drain hole is blocked. If you want to help prevent this you can use a length of old inner tube and put it over the seat post, clamp and top of the seat tube and zip tie it at the top.

Mud guards are personal but if wet weather is forecast this is a serious consideration, to reduce the amount mud flung up into the bike internals and also onto your bum! There are many front guards which fit onto the fork arch/under steerer tube but you can make you own with 4 zip ties and a width of opened inner tube. A commercial version is available in neoprene by Rapid Racer Products (Neoguard) for example. These help reduce the amount of mud flung into your face.

One last item which is a bit like marmite are tubeless systems. Some people do not get on with tubeless but they are advantageous especially on long rides or technical rides as typical rim pinches do not occur as there is no inner tube and they will resist multiple punctures. However they are often difficult to setup initially and tyre slashes tend to be fatal. Also taking a spare tube is still advised (see our CNO1 article on Stans tubless setup).

Now you have no excuse not to get out there and enjoy the summer, even if it is a little moist. Happy pedalling!

Richard Fox - Features Contributor

Richard has been mountain biking for over 17 years,7 years on his local trails, Dartmoor. He also regularly rides away from home – usually riding each year (while doing the mechanics for others) in various events such as the Cheddar Challenge, Rough Ride, Soggy Bottom, Dyfi Enduro and twentyfour12.

All these years of riding (and breaking) bikes, has resulted in Richard acquiring the wealth of experience (and the tools) to keep his, and inevitably all his riding crew's, bikes on the trails. Richard is a Cyclist No.1 features contributor.

Maintenance in association with Cycle System Acadmey...

Cycle Systems Academy offers a range of courses, from one day introductory courses in Basic Maintenance, specialist courses such as Brompton Servicing, or learning how to strip out and repair Sturmey Archer Hubs, right through to professional industry training in Level Two and Level Three qualifications recognised and accredited by the Government Qualification and Credit Framework.

Cyclist No.1 has teamed up with Cycle Systems Academy to provide maintenance guides for the home mechanic.

Recent Maintenance Articles

Search Cyclist No.1

Get our Newsletter

We don’t share our list and will only mail you regarding content on cyclist no.1...

Cyclist No.1 News

• New Orange Gyro 29er
• Make your Staycation a Bikecation
• Ritchey TrailMasters 2012
• Black Mountains 3 Day returns
• The Run Rider – Bristol Offroad Duathlon
• Whyte bikes at the 3 Peaks
• ALPKIT Big Shakeout 2011: 14,15,16 October 2011
• Marin and Whyte Demo day Bristol
• Whyte 2012 range highlights
• Bikes Stolen at the Black Mountains

View all news »