Author Topic: What major Maintenance should/do I need after 12 years/25.000 (km) of cycling  (Read 4360 times)

mickeg

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Since spare tires were mentioned, some tours I carry one and some I do not.

When I carry one, it is not a heavy bulky tire capable of replacing one of my tires, it instead is a light weight one that is more than adequate to get me to the nearest bike shop.  It would be unlikely that I would put more than a couple hundred miles on my spare.

That said, 26 inch tires are getting more rare in bike shops, I may have to re-think this in a few more years, as I could imagine bike shops not having any in stock.

My tours are short enough that I do not wear out a tire on a tour, if I was doing a really long distance tour, I might bring a replacement tire as my spare.

kingoftheworld

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Hi Guys,

To follow up on some of the points you have raised.

I will carry one extra folding tire, I use Schwalbe 26" x1.5 " Marathon Plus. They usually last around 10.000km (I'll be cycling around 5.5k).
Yes, you are right, strangely 26" tire has really become rare, 12 years ago it was THE standard it seems, but this year I struggled to find a 26" Schwalbe Marathon while on my tour in the states. So I will take  a spare with me and 3-4 inner tubes. Plus a chain or at least a KMC missing link/connector set. I agree, the reversal of the rear sprocket is really important when connecting a new chain, I forgot to do that of course on my trip across the USA, I then had a rubbing sound for at least 10 days. 

I have a brooks saddle, B17, I love it.

Agreed, I wont rebuild the back wheel if I don't have to. Never change a winning team :)

If anybody is interested, this is roughly the route I am hoping to cycle.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/18777910

Keep On Cycling
Simon






 











 

Matt2matt2002

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Nice route, Simon.
I think my pal, Ed Pratt did it on his unicycle a few years ago.
He has some good clips on YouTube.

Best of luck.

Matt.

( One of Ed's mottos to get him through some tough times is, " It's not a problem until it is".
Never drink and drive. You may hit a bump  and spill your drink

martinf

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If anybody is interested, this is roughly the route I am hoping to cycle.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/18777910

Looks like it is mainly tarmac. If the towns are not too far apart you could probably get away without a spare tyre. Marathon Plus are robust tyres and you are unlikely to wear one out on that distance. The same goes for the chain, a few spare links and connectors should be enough.

On good tarmac I would personally use lighter and faster tyres, but I don't know if there are "goathead" thorns in that part of Australia. In which case Marathon Plus are by far the best choice.

mickeg

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Just a note on flying with a Rohloff.  I do not know about you but I seemed to have a lot of oil leakage after a flight.  I used to do the oil flush, drain, and fill process before a trip and that meant before a flight.  Thus flew with a hub that 15ml of oil in it.  But starting with my last tour, I did not add oil to the hub until I arrived at my destination.  I seemed to have less leakage when my hub was in a drained state during the flight.  That meant bringing a small syringe, the oil tube and threaded fitting, and a small bottle of oil.  Plus, I carry a spare drain screw in case I drop it and lose it.

There are a few Australians that have posted over the years at this forum.  Perhaps one of them will be able to tell you where there are a few well stocked bike shops along your route that you could contact to see if they stock your desired tires, etc.  At that distance you might be looking to buy another bottle of chain lube too.

If my recollection is correct, KMC has started selling Rohloff sprockets that are thicker than the standard Rohloff sprockets, they use single speed chains that are wider.  I wonder if that would provide a longer chain and sprocket life?  I am going to keep using the Rohloff sprockets and 8 speed chains, but I am not anticipating a trip like yours where a longer component life might be useful.  If you use a chain glider (I do not), I have no clue if the wider KMC chain and sprocket is compatible.


Matt2matt2002

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Re flying with a Rohloff:
I've flown from UK to Tajikistan, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia & Morocco with my Raven Tour.

Oil changes have been done a few weeks before the flight.
I've never had an oil leak as a consequence of the flight.
( & I've never lowered the tired pressures )

Maybe I've been lucky.....

Best

Matt
Never drink and drive. You may hit a bump  and spill your drink

martinf

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If my recollection is correct, KMC has started selling Rohloff sprockets that are thicker than the standard Rohloff sprockets, they use single speed chains that are wider.  I wonder if that would provide a longer chain and sprocket life?

And chainrings:

https://www.kmcchain.eu/10000km

They claim 10,000 kms lifespan. Compared to "standard" on their advert, their system is supposed to last 9 or 10 times longer. I suppose that means using all three KMC components together.

 
If you use a chain glider (I do not), I have no clue if the wider KMC chain and sprocket is compatible.

In theory, no.

In practice I have setups with Chainglider and wide 1/8" chain/sprocket and TA 1/8" chainring running on two family bikes without problems (one of them since 2012)