New bike.

[PaulDoc1980]

Hello everyone. Let’s start by saying i’ve always cycled But never been into it to the point where I’ve had expensive bikes or joint owners club, Anyway my last bike got stolen and I was without for a while. I was due to go Vegas this year for my stag but my stag and wedding blew out due to Covid19, Anyway I had some Spare cash due to not going to Vegas so what did I do ? Well I spent it on a bike. I currently took delivery a couple of days ago but haven’t had a chance to get out on it yet due to quarantining as I not long got back from Spain. So really it’s more of a introduction and I’m casting some feelers out for some tips regarding this bike. It’s a Bianchi Methanol CVS 9.2.

First impressions were a little bit of disappointment as the wheels never looked the same as they did on the picture. The photo depicted a set of wheels with very close together spokes and less of them then what I have. Anyway after slowly putting the small bits together like the handle bars and peddles Iv falling for it. Now it’s complete and I can see it I love how it looks. 👌🏻🙏🏻

So here comes some of my questions.
1 Firstly I believe the tires are tubeless but I’m not sure. Iv never seen a bike with valves like what I have, the holes are tiny. What would I need to pump up or check air pressure ?

2 if I got a puncher while out is it an easy repair

3 Locks. It definitely won’t be a bike that’s going to be left out for long periods of time but I would like something really good I was looking at the Litelok, would any of you recommend?


4 Servicing and maintenance. How often should this be done ? I’m guessing it’s down to how often it’s used and what can I expect from a service and where is the best place to go in North London.

Sorry for some pretty vague questions but I’ve always just had a bike that I’ve used and never really cared about, but with this I think it’s something I’m going to have to look after and take care of for many years to come so any advice would be greatly appreciated. 😎😎👍🏻

Paul

 

[tom73]

Calling @JhnBssll Bianchi alert

 

[vickster]

It’s a mountain bike looking at your avatar, designed to be used off road, more spokes are an advantage on the rough stuff (and rubbish London roads)

Regarding servicing, you could learn to do it yourself. Or find an independent local bike shop in your bit of north London 👍

D locks are the best type, new shiny and expensive bikes are very vulnerable in London, something like as Abus Granit X, but heavy...or simply never leave unattended for more than 5 minutes

The full specs for your bike on the Bianchi website should tell you about the tyres. You’ll need a good track pump to pump up.

Now go find some woods and trails and enjoy

 

[JhnBssll]

Nice bike I've got an older model Methanol SX in the garage, its great fun 😊

To answer a few of your questions;

1) It sounds like they're Presta valves, fairly standard these days. Most pumps have a dual sided head, or a rubber insert you can remove and turn around, to suit both Presta and car-type (schrader) valves. You'll have to ask the shop whether the tyres have been set up as tubeless, or whether they're 'tubeless ready' but still currently have tubes in. Its quite common for new bikes to come with inner tubes fitted and the extra parts in a bag to convert it to tubeless.

2) depends on the above really. Find out if you have inner tubes or a tubeless setup with sealant first As a general rule, tubeless is less likely to puncture as it's self sealing to a degree. If you do get a puncture that doesn't seal, tubeless is a much bigger pain to fix on the trail.

3) locks. I just don't leave mine anywhere so can't really comment. I chain them up with big motorcycle chain locks in the garage but wouldnt want to carry one around with me

4) Servicing and maintenance will depend on how often you ride it, what conditions its ridden in and how often its cleaned. If you keep the chain relatively free of grit and properly oiled, and dont clean it with a pressure washer, an annual service is probably plenty. If youre going to be doing big miles on it you might need to get it looked at more often. I tend to give my bikes a once over every time they're ridden, but I'm a massive geek

Now go get it dirty

 

[Jody]

Nice looking bike!

One thing to add on Jhn's post is not to neglect fork servicing if you want them to function well.

I think on your model is lowers need the oil changing every 50 hours and a full service including the damper every 200 hours.

 

[PaulDoc1980]

Nice bike I've got an older model Methanol SX in the garage, its great fun 😊

To answer a few of your questions;

1) It sounds like they're Presta valves, fairly standard these days. Most pumps have a dual sided head, or a rubber insert you can remove and turn around, to suit both Presta and car-type (schrader) valves. You'll have to ask the shop whether the tyres have been set up as tubeless, or whether they're 'tubeless ready' but still currently have tubes in. Its quite common for new bikes to come with inner tubes fitted and the extra parts in a bag to convert it to tubeless.

2) depends on the above really. Find out if you have inner tubes or a tubeless setup with sealant first As a general rule, tubeless is less likely to puncture as it's self sealing to a degree. If you do get a puncture that doesn't seal, tubeless is a much bigger pain to fix on the trail.

3) locks. I just don't leave mine anywhere so can't really comment. I chain them up with big motorcycle chain locks in the garage but wouldnt want to carry one around with me

4) Servicing and maintenance will depend on how often you ride it, what conditions its ridden in and how often its cleaned. If you keep the chain relatively free of grit and properly oiled, and dont clean it with a pressure washer, an annual service is probably plenty. If youre going to be doing big miles on it you might need to get it looked at more often. I tend to give my bikes a once over every time their ridden, but I'm a massive geek

Nkw go get it dirty

Thanks for that. So what’s the best way to keep the chain clean ? You day not to use a jet wash ? Thank again. 👍🏻

 

[PaulDoc1980]

It’s a mountain bike looking at your avatar, designed to be used off road, more spokes are an advantage on the rough stuff (and rubbish London roads)

Regarding servicing, you could learn to do it yourself. Or find an independent local bike shop in your bit of north London 👍

D locks are the best type, new shiny and expensive bikes are very vulnerable in London, something like as Abus Granit X, but heavy...or simply never leave unattended for more than 5 minutes

The full specs for your bike on the Bianchi website should tell you about the tyres. You’ll need a good track pump to pump up.

Now go find some woods and trails and enjoy

Thank you. 👍🏻

 

[JhnBssll]

Nice looking bike!

One thing to add on Jhn's post is not to neglect fork servicing if you want them to function well.

I think on your model is lowers need the oil changing every 50 hours and a full service including the damper every 200 hours.

Good point. I'm getting close to fork and shock service time on my stumpjumper, looking forward to taking them to bits for the first time I've had it a couple of years, so that should tell you how (in)frequently I ride it

 

[LJR69]

Can't add much to what's already been said here, but just wanted to say 'Nice bike!'

 

[JhnBssll]

Thanks for that. So what’s the best way to keep the chain clean ? You day not to use a jet wash ? Thank again. 👍🏻

Easiest way is to oil the chain then wipe off all the excess so its dry to the touch, that way it doesn't get too dirty to begin with. Every so often add some more oil and wipe it clean again. The oil only really needs to be between the link plates and the pins, anything on the outside just attracts dust and dirt then acts as grinding paste

Pressure washers arent generally a good idea as the water gets past bearing seals and drives the grease out leading to early bearing failure. If you're careful not to point the jet at any bearings or fork seals etc theyre ok, but always a risk of accidental damage.

 

[Reynard]

Regarding punctures and basic repairs, learn how to sort those out in the comfort of your garage / living room first, rather than having to fathom things out on the fly when it's mucky, peeing it down with rain, the light is fading and your fingers have all the dexterity of a bunch of bananas.

Most of the common mechanicals, punctures included, are pretty easy to sort, but practice does make perfect.

Sort yourself out with a bar bag or saddle pack in which to keep a multitool (preferably with a chain tool on it), tyre levers, self-adhesive patches, a spare tube, spare quick link for the chain and such like, plus a decent frame pump.

If you do a search, there are plenty of "what do you carry with you when you ride" threads on here, which will give you an idea of what's useful. Topeak pumps and multitools are always popular, and I really rate the yellow tyre levers from Decathlon.

Right now, a lot of bike shops are up to their eyeballs with servicing and repairs - three to four weeks waiting time is pretty common, so it's really worth learning how to do the basic things yourself. There are loads of good resources on here, on youtube etc regarding the "how to". If you do go down this road, I would suggest buying individual "specialist" tools as and when you need, rather than a set. Though for the most general maintenance, the aforementioned multitool, along with a good set of allen keys, a socket set and some spanners in common sizes should see you sorted. Oh, and a can of WD40, a tub of grease and some oil for the chain.

Oh, and to the forum.

 

[Rich68]

Nice bike

 

[PaulDoc1980]

Nice looking bike!

One thing to add on Jhn's post is not to neglect fork servicing if you want them to function well.

I think on your model is lowers need the oil changing every 50 hours and a full service including the damper every 200 hours.

Thanks for that. 👍🏻👍🏻

Can't add much to what's already been said here, but just wanted to say 'Nice bike!'

Thank you mate.

 

[PaulDoc1980]

Regarding punctures and basic repairs, learn how to sort those out in the comfort of your garage / living room first, rather than having to fathom things out on the fly when it's mucky, peeing it down with rain, the light is fading and your fingers have all the dexterity of a bunch of bananas.

Most of the common mechanicals, punctures included, are pretty easy to sort, but practice does make perfect.

Sort yourself out with a bar bag or saddle pack in which to keep a multitool (preferably with a chain tool on it), tyre levers, self-adhesive patches, a spare tube, spare quick link for the chain and such like, plus a decent frame pump.

If you do a search, there are plenty of "what do you carry with you when you ride" threads on here, which will give you an idea of what's useful. Topeak pumps and multitools are always popular, and I really rate the yellow tyre levers from Decathlon.

Right now, a lot of bike shops are up to their eyeballs with servicing and repairs - three to four weeks waiting time is pretty common, so it's really worth learning how to do the basic things yourself. There are loads of good resources on here, on youtube etc regarding the "how to". If you do go down this road, I would suggest buying individual "specialist" tools as and when you need, rather than a set. Though for the most general maintenance, the aforementioned multitool, along with a good set of allen keys, a socket set and some spanners in common sizes should see you sorted. Oh, and a can of WD40, a tub of grease and some oil for the chain.

Oh, and to the forum.

Thanks for that info. I mean this bike is night and day from my last one. I’ve just realised there is a lever or set of leavers which look like gearchange leavers which go down to the front shocks I’ve just realised there is a lever or set of levers which look like gearchange levers which go down to the front shocks😳😳 god knows what that’s for. I’ll need to read up on this lol.

 

[PaulDoc1980]

Easiest way is to oil the chain then wipe off all the excess so its dry to the touch, that way it doesn't get too dirty to begin with. Every so often add some more oil and wipe it clean again. The oil only really needs to be between the link plates and the pins, anything on the outside just attracts dust and dirt then acts as grinding paste

Pressure washers arent generally a good idea as the water gets past bearing seals and drives the grease out leading to early bearing failure. If you're careful not to point the jet at any bearings or fork seals etc theyre ok, but always a risk of accidental damage.

Thanks again for that.