soulful dog
Veteran
- Location
- Glasgow
First of all, hello from another newbie! Been lurking for a while and enjoying reading the forum (and am now riding my bike with a more suitable seat height thanks to you guys - which my back really appreciates).
I know next to nothing about bikes, am not mechanically minded at all (can't even fix a puncture without help - though to be fair I've only had one so far), and so would appreciate some advice on what to do about cleaning the chain and all it's associated bits on my bike.
I bought an old second hand Claud Butler Odyssey a few months ago and had a basic service carried out at a LBS to make sure everything was ok with it, which it was (except for having to replace both tires). However, when I went to pick it up and saw my bike standing next to all the others awaiting collection, I noticed the chain etc looked seriously grotty compared to the rest of the bikes.
I wouldn't have a clue how to remove the rear wheel and really get in to clean it all properly, and although I've had a go with some citrus degreaser, an old brush and some rags, it's not really made much difference. Also, a couple of the gears are a bit sticky and I'm presuming this might be why (or is that the gear cables?).
After spending the cash on a service & new tyres, I'm not really keen to spend another £40 going back to the LBS for another service that includes cleaning - at least not for a while anyway! But since I'm pretty clueless, is that my best option, or can anyone advise me on how easy it should be to clean, and what I'd need to do the job properly?
I know next to nothing about bikes, am not mechanically minded at all (can't even fix a puncture without help - though to be fair I've only had one so far), and so would appreciate some advice on what to do about cleaning the chain and all it's associated bits on my bike.
I bought an old second hand Claud Butler Odyssey a few months ago and had a basic service carried out at a LBS to make sure everything was ok with it, which it was (except for having to replace both tires). However, when I went to pick it up and saw my bike standing next to all the others awaiting collection, I noticed the chain etc looked seriously grotty compared to the rest of the bikes.
I wouldn't have a clue how to remove the rear wheel and really get in to clean it all properly, and although I've had a go with some citrus degreaser, an old brush and some rags, it's not really made much difference. Also, a couple of the gears are a bit sticky and I'm presuming this might be why (or is that the gear cables?).
After spending the cash on a service & new tyres, I'm not really keen to spend another £40 going back to the LBS for another service that includes cleaning - at least not for a while anyway! But since I'm pretty clueless, is that my best option, or can anyone advise me on how easy it should be to clean, and what I'd need to do the job properly?