Self Servicing for the first time

[Tompinder]

Hi guys,

I bought myself a brand new Felt Z6 the a few weeks ago now and in that time have just broken the 500 mile mark. Naturally things are starting to feel a bit loose and occasionally unresponsive. In the past i've always taken new bikes to my LBS store for a service however i've been told that it's quite straight forward to do myself and i have a fair bit of basic bike maintenance knowledge so was thinking of self servicing it.

What sort of things should i be looking to tweak on the bike?

 

[numbnuts]

Have a look here it will show you what to do
http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

+1 for the Park Tool site: most useful.

There shouldn't be anything major to do at this stage. Concentrate on the consumables for signs of wear:
- cables may have stretched but the adjusters should be able to take up any slack.
- brake blocks will have worn, but again the adjusters should be enough to close them up; also check there is no debris embedded in them.
- check your chain for wear and clean & lube it (the Mickle Method comes most highly recommended).
- check the tyres for cuts, embedded debris and correct pressures.
- check the wheels spin freely and are true.

I learned to service and maintain my bikes (and acquire the necessary tools) on an "as and when" basis: as and when things needed attention I learned what to do and bought the correct tools.

This is a bit less overwhelming and easier on the wallet than trying to learn everything at once.

There are plenty of professional mechanics on here, so start a thread for specific queries.

 

[Norm]

At 500 miles, it shouldn't need much more than a few spins of the cable adjusters, as they stretch (a little) when new.

It should also, IME, be a free service from the supplying dealer.

That said, it's great to be able to tinker on your own ride. I've found most things to be pretty logical, just take it easy, don't undo something you can't re-do, read the Park Tools sites and watch plenty of videos on YouTube.