So you've got your shiny new bike and you've ridden it all over the place. You've been up and down and round and back home. Your bike has definately had a bit of hammer and will need support in the way of maintenance and regular upkeep to ensure you can go many miles further together.
Chain Reaction
Depending on how long you've ridden your bike for and where you store your bike day-to-day, you can work out how much maintenance you need to give your chain to ensure that your drivetrain will continue to work effectively.
If you ride your bike a lot, over great distances, it will be important to keep your chain well lubricated to keep the wear on the bike components down. There are many different lubes out there for this purpose but there is a runaway favourite of mine which is Finish Line Teflon Lube http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=317 . This lubricant is for use really only in the dry conditions and this may be impractical in old blighty so there's also a wet conditions equivalent: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=1041 and at roughly 3 quid a pop, it's not gonna break the bank.
Working at the.... Bike.... wash (Seamless :D)
As important as it is to keep your chain in good condition, it is also a good idea to keep your bike relatively clean as this will prevent transfer of muck to you from the bike. A good fluid for this is the Muc Off Nano Tech bike cleaner (£5.99) : http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=520 . I really like this product because it's a no gimmicks fluid with a spray bottle container. It's really just a point and shoot system which works great if, like me, you have a busy life and just want to keep your bike in good working order.
Stop!!
On the more mechanical / physical side of bike maintenance, it's important to keep an eye on your tyres and brake pads. I'll deal with brake pads first as they're more likely to go before your tyres do ( again, like so much in this article, it depends on the type and frequency of the riding that you do). Brake pads are the traditional way to stop a bike and there are specific types of brake pads for different bikes. Mountain bikes generally have longer brake pads and road bikes have smaller pads mounted in a side-pull fashion. These can be picked up at Halfords or from Chain Reaction Cycles for little money and especially with CRC, there is a massive selection to choose from.
Tyres, again vary depending on the bike and type of riding you do. If you do a lot of mountain biking then slick tyres are not for you. Likewise, a knobby tyre on a road bike lends the it to more cyclo-cross type riding rather than a fast morning commute into the City. A good thing to watch out for with the commuter tyre is whether it has kevlar in it. Kevlar in this application is the same stuff used in bullet proof vests and will go a long way to help protect you from punctures.
