Bike Maintenance for Newbies (me!): The Drivetrain

[ebikemom]

Okay, I've deleted the text I first had written here, and am starting all over, so replies may not quite make sense!

I cleaned my drivetrain according to instructions from the Park Tools video and one by Amazon. Had some squeaking in the rear wheel, so took it to my local bike repair guy, Dan Sotelo.

He said to NEVER spray degreaser on a bike chain or drivetrain. He said that the degreaser can work its way into the wheel bearings and degrease them, that they are supposedly "sealed", but that degreaser can get in and ruin them. This scared me, because my bike's rear wheel is about $800 to replace!

His advice:
Clean the bike with water. Wet it down gently. Let it sit for 10 minutes to soften everything up. Wet it down again. Brush with a soft brush (he recommends soft wooden synthetic bristle bench brushes from Harbor Freight--he said they are very cheap and last 2-3 bike washes). Rinse.

Oh--here are the brushes he recommends:

Some quotes from Dan "Dirt and mud are your bike's friends." "Don't worry about a dirty bike." "Yes, chains wear out eventually, so replace them when they do." "Don't use soap on your bike." "Never put any degreaser anywhere on your bike." "If you really need a degreaser, remove the part from your bike and then clean it." He said that when soap is really necessary, he uses a little Tide detergent in a bucket of water, because it doesn't damage the bike.

He spent about 40 minutes with me showing me how to adjust my breaks, lube my chain etc. He said that if I one must clean one's chain (he thinks it is hardly ever necessary), remove it from the bike.

He said he is very unhappy about the Park Tools video and has been asking them to take it down because he's seen folks ruin their bikes by cleaning the drivetrains that way. He said he is going to call the president of Park Tools tomorrow and ask them to take down that video.

Anyway, I'm sure that there are controversies over how to clean a bike. After I talked to Dan, I googled more and also found advice like his, most notably from a company that makes bearings for bikes.

Please excuse that the replies right after this post won't relate to the content, since I changed the content, but I didn't feel right keeping videos posted that might lead folks to over-clean and damage their bikes.

Here's Dan's information (the front and back of his business card), for those who are interested. I'm going to start a separate thread sharing the advice I've gotten from him. I asked him if I could share his advice here, and he gave me permission.

 

[slomoshun]

Park Tool has a good series of maintenance and repair videos. https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help

 

[ebikemom]

I’ll check them out!

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Replacing tubes and tires is pretty straightforward once you get a little bit of practice.

Some helpful hints are:

• Before removing the rear wheel, shift into the smallest (highest) gear on the rear cassette. This isn't strictly necessary but makes everything much easier.
• Pedego bikes come with a little tool kit. However, the adjustable wrench in that tool kit is horribly inadequate to properly tighten the nut on the rear hub. Either go to the hardware store or your bike shop and buy a wrench of the proper size.
• You don't always have to replace a tube if you have a patch kit. When I was a kid I would usually only replace a tube after there were four or five patches on it. As an added bonus, if you master dutch style tire repair you won't even need to take your wheel off to fix a flat.
• Get a good mini pump ("good" here means one that can move enough volume that it won't be exhausting pumping up a tire along the road on a rainy evening). And spend $30 and get a decent floor pump for tire repairs at home.

 

[rich c]

Depends on how good you are with tools and how much you value your time, but removing a hub motor can take some time. Finding a tiny puncture in the tube and tire can take a while. Don't get me wrong, I do all the maintenance myself. But I can understand that $35 charge. My car dealer wants $100 to hook my car up to an automatic machine to tell me if I have something wrong with my A/C. I know I have something wrong with it, but diagnostic starts with a 100 dollar bill. Chain maintenance is the most critical. Discover what lube to use based on riding environment, and how to recognize chain wear and stretch. You can spend days on youtube to learn what to do.

 

[ebikemom]

I cleaned my drivetrain today! ?

 

[ebikemom]

Okay, now my back wheel is squeaking. I wonder if I de-lubed it when I sprayed the cassette with citrus de-greaser? What should I put on it? Will chain lube do the trick?

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Okay, now my back wheel is squeaking. I wonder if I de-lubed it when I sprayed the cassette with citrus de-greaser? What should I put on it? Will chain lube do the trick?

You have a Pedego rear wheel that is squeaking? I believe the bearings in a Pedego rear-drive wheel are sealed inside with the motor and wouldn't get degreased that easily.

Are you sure it isn't the brakes that are squeaking?

 

[ebikemom]

Might the axle squeak?

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Might the axle squeak?

it might, but the part that would squeak is inside the motor housing.

My personal guess is that you don't have the wheel aligned perfectly and the brakes are rubbing. If you took your rear wheel off (I don't know that you did) and you used the little wrench in the Pedego toolkit to tighten the axle bolt you probably didn't tighten the axle bolt sufficiently and the wheel moved a bit in the dropouts. Don't feel bad about this, I made the same mistake the first time I fixed a flat on my Interceptor.

The other possibility is that you got some degreaser on the rear brake rotor. If you use a little bit of rubbing alcohol to clean the rear brake rotor that might fix your problem.

 

[WalkinTarget]

I cleaned my drivetrain today! ?

Cleaned my chain for the first time today. Didn't have any good brushes to completely scrub the derailleur (gotta acquire some old toothbrushes to do it on the cheap !), but felt better about my chain .. it's now nice and shiny like when I got the bike. *high 5*

 

[Mtbross]

Ebikes are MUCH harder on the drivetrain than regular bikes. Depending on the lube you use, the distance you ride, and presuming you are shifting the same as you would on normal bike - meaning, in simplest terms, don't climb hills in the gears used for descents, you should lube the chain after almost every ride. I ride a good distance most rides (30-50 miles) and clean/lube the chain after every ride.

Expect to change the chain more often than a regular bike. To be safe, consider purchasing a chain wear indicator tool. ParkTool makes a good one for about $30. Just follow the directions or have the shop people show you how to use it, and replace the chain when it is recommended in the instructions. If you continue running the chain after it's worn you'll likely have to replace the entire drivetrain which is much (much much) more expensive than a chain.

Other than that, I don't ever use a hose to spray any bike with water. Especially an ebike. Just brush then wipe it down with a damp cloth to remove dirt, lube the chain, check tire pressures, and take it in for maintenance when needed.

Hopefully the industry starts making e-bike specific drivetrains more standard to hold up longer for the demands placed on the drivetrain. Until then, be sure to shift properly, keep the chain lubed and replace as needed and you should be good to go. This is general and not bike or brand specific of course.

 

[DDBB]

I use a product called "chain wax" on my motorcycle chain and bicycle chains.. It's made by Maxima... It goes on "wet" but then dries to a waxy parrafin finish. It's supposed to seal the lubricant under the wax.. I've used it for years and have to replace chains far less frequently than I did in the past. It also doesn't fling off and make a mess of your real wheel.. The lube might be a little heavy for bikes but I've been impressed w/ the results

 

[indianajo]

In 60 years of bike riding, I've never worn out a chain. I have worn out some rear sprockets. So I must be doing something right. I use 5 W non-detergent oil for lube, applied in drops from a squeeze pump. 3 in 1 oil originally, now type F ATF or 5 W (SUS32) non additive hydraulic fluid. auto engine oil is wrong, detergent in such oils sucks water out of the air. Dextron type ATF is wrong , it is 40% detergent.
I've cleaned the chain after it picked up a lot of grass seeds with a paper towel soaked in gasoline. No smoking. No spraying of the chain with brake cleaner or anything like that. Degreaser brake cleaner etc could be used, but spray it on the towel, not on the chain. Then rub the chain.
When the sprocket cluster gets a coating of oily dirt, I poke it with a narrow screwdriver until globs of dirt fall off. I don't worry about the small stuff.
BTW my electric is a hub drive, so I don't have to carry a chain breaker or spare chain in my road tool kit.
My bikes sit out in the rain a lot now, so every year or two I lube the wheel and pedal sprocket bearings. I unscrew hubs a bit and put petroleum jelly on the wheel bearings. I drilled a hole in the bottom of the sprocket housing and dripped in 5 W oil. Stopped a pedal squeek. close hole with a glob of caulk, especially if riding with pedals under water (I do).

 

[rich c]

In 60 years of bike riding, I've never worn out a chain. I have worn out some rear sprockets. So I must be doing something right. I use 5 W non-detergent oil for lube, applied in drops from a squeeze pump. 3 in 1 oil originally, now type F ATF or 5 W (SUS32) non additive hydraulic fluid. auto engine oil is wrong, detergent in such oils sucks water out of the air. Dextron type ATF is wrong , it is 40% detergent.
I've cleaned the chain after it picked up a lot of grass seeds with a paper towel soaked in gasoline. No smoking. No spraying of the chain with brake cleaner or anything like that. Degreaser brake cleaner etc could be used, but spray it on the towel, not on the chain. Then rub the chain.
When the sprocket cluster gets a coating of oily dirt, I poke it with a narrow screwdriver until globs of dirt fall off. I don't worry about the small stuff.
BTW my electric is a hub drive, so I don't have to carry a chain breaker or spare chain in my road tool kit.
My bikes sit out in the rain a lot now, so every year or two I lube the wheel and pedal sprocket bearings. I unscrew hubs a bit and put petroleum jelly on the wheel bearings. I drilled a hole in the bottom of the sprocket housing and dripped in 5 W oil. Stopped a pedal squeek. close hole with a glob of caulk, especially if riding with pedals under water (I do).

Most sprockets are worn out because the chain has stretched. The links then don't engage properly and the teeth wear out.

 

[ebikemom]

Is chain wear an issue on hub drive ebikes as compared to conventional bikes?

 

[slowguy]

"in simplest terms, don't climb hills in the gears used for descents"

Ebikes are MUCH harder on the drivetrain than regular bikes. Depending on the lube you use, the distance you ride, and presuming you are shifting the same as you would on normal bike - meaning, in simplest terms, don't climb hills in the gears used for descents, .

Is this true? I am a real newbie to e-bikes but I have read about sprocket wear and I thought a comment was that most of the time the bike was in top gear. Slow from a stop but fine otherwise! (sorry forgot the reference). Seems about right for my PIM with a 750 w rear drive. Is there any special way you are supposed to shift on such a bike? The drive motor and controller are integrated so it seems one just advances the gear level upon down. Is there something I am missing? Thanks and hope this isn't too confusing a reply.

 

[rich c]

"in simplest terms, don't climb hills in the gears used for descents"


Is this true? I am a real newbie to e-bikes but I have read about sprocket wear and I thought a comment was that most of the time the bike was in top gear. Slow from a stop but fine otherwise! (sorry forgot the reference). Seems about right for my PIM with a 750 w rear drive. Is there any special way you are supposed to shift on such a bike? The drive motor and controller are integrated so it seems one just advances the gear level upon down. Is there something I am missing? Thanks and hope this isn't too confusing a reply.

I shift my eBike like I shift any bike. When you drive your stick shift car, do you always keep it in 4th? Sure you can slip the clutch to make it move, by horrible on components. I feel the same way about eBikes.

 

[slowguy]

Makes total sense to me too. Just what I read from someone who I think had worn out the teeth! So to make things easier on the drive should you stop pedaling when you shift?
Thanks

 

[Trail Cruiser]

Makes total sense to me too. Just what I read from someone who I think had worn out the teeth! So to make things easier on the drive should you stop pedaling when you shift?
Thanks

You don't have to stop pedaling, just reduce pedal pressure then shift.