maintenance of a bike

I spray mine off at the car wash and then hand dry it with a towel. The biggest thing to keep rust away is not to leave it out in the weather and clean it if you get road salts or other debris on it. Lube the chain from time to time and check it overall for loose parts... bikes can last a long time with minimal maintenance and lack of abuse

If you have an expensive bike, nothing will rust other than your drivetrain.

>>937462
ah okay ty

>>937462
>>937451

>spray mine off at the car wash

washing your bike is fine, OP, but don't spray near the crank or hubs or headset. just let a little water calmly flow over those areas or you'll erode the grease in there and fuck up the bearings. same deal with spray lube (PB Blaster or WD40, [which isn't really a lube but anyway]) , squirting it up there dissolves the grease. those bearings need sticky, thick grease not thin oil that'll drain away.

really, I'd avoid spraying water on the bike to clean it at all, it's not really needed so why risk it? just let the hose flow over the bike at a nominal pressure, just enough to get the job done. you can use a soapy sponge if needed. "they" say you can use turtle wax on the paint if you want, but I've never done it.

otherwise what that poster said is good.

What is the approximate time in years / miles I should start to worry about the lubrication of the major bearings of the bike?

>>937519
i heard that you should do it all 3000 km .

>>937519
assuming whoever assembled it did their job right, "very infrequently" is the best answer I can give. years/miles aren't as much of a factor as if you frequently ride in the rain and snow.

>>937462
>I spray mine off at the car wash
NEVER do this unless you want to RUIN your bike. You force water into all the bearings, which will RUIN them.

NEVER use high-pressure water to wash a bike, only low-pressure, low-volume water. Preferably don't even use a hose, use damp rags to clean the frame.

>>937451
I'm not going to sit here and type for half an hour to tell you all the things you should do to maintain a decent bike. Please google the subject, there are dozens of sites out there that will tell you everything you need to know. There are also books on bike maintenance, I'd recommend those too.

>>937469
cause garbon don't rust yo