With spring coming up, I have a simple two minute (maybe less, I had to take photos too) maintenance tip that can save you from a HUGE hassle…
When we ride, what must we do, besides inflating the tires, every single ride?
We drink. Whether it be water, some hydration mix or even Gatorade, we consume a lot of fluids.
Why?
We sweat a lot.
Right?
Okay, where does that sweat go? Throw in some water and Gatorade and you get a pretty gnarly mix that trickles down over much of the bike. One of the least looked after items on a bike are the bottle cage bolts and they take a tremendous amount of abuse, when you think about it. If you recall, when I took my Trek in to get painted, after I stripped the entire bike down, there was still a bottle cage attached to the frame.
Those bolts are so fused to the bolt bosses that I didn’t want to risk breaking the bolt off or stripping the bolt head… I had to let the pros handle it. Well, that only has to happen once to me, because that kind of stuff can get expensive in a hurry.
This is what you’ll need… Oh, and a paper towel too:
Break the bolts free, turning counterclockwise:
Clean off the bosses:
To lube the bolt threads, just stick the bolt in the nozzle and give the tube a little squeeze. “Little” is the operative word there:
Install the bolts and look at that!:
If you’re lucky, as I was, your once plastic bottle cage will turn into a color-matched Blackburn carbon fiber beauty! Gotta love it when the bike thanks you for taking care of it like that.
Next, tackle the second cage. For this one I just did one bolt at a time (it’s a newer cage and the bike hasn’t seen one rain drop since that cage went on – I know it’s clean underneath):
Next, we put a dab of lube on our fingertip:
And lube the bolt head. I do this because those rivulets of sweat, Gatorade and Perpetuem can turn into a pretty gnarly funk. In fact, you’ll find, as I did, that those bolts are magic Funky Fluid Magnets:
Then take that paper towel and dab off the excess lube. We do this because we don’t want those Funky Fluid Magnets to attract dirt and dust as well:
And there you have it… Bob’s your uncle:
PS. That’s our Snopocalypse right outside the window there. We’re supposed to get got a foot today. WOOHOO!
apparently only drinking beer solves this problem.
I’ll have to take your word on that.
Great write up, love the pics. Specialized just make awesome bikes
Thanks man, they certainly do.
an ounce of prevention…
Indeed!
Yup, good heads up there Jim. I’ve been using a ptfe based anti-seize on many pieces on the bike for years. Works like a charm!
Thanks man.
Don’t you check your brakes before every ride, then?
And would copper slip be better to poly lube for that application?
Same, same. I just choose to keep it simple. Bike lube works just fine.