This question shows that I know nothing about bike maintenance. I have a dedicated "trainer bike’, I bought it off a used bike marketplace and it never will see the road. I have hammered on it for 3 years and it seems fine. But I dont want to be surprised one day and not be able to train. Would you mechanics out there recommend I have the bike serviced? Other then the bottom bracket, and the chain, i’m not sure what else would be checked. But would it be worth looking at the BB if it seems to be working fine??
The biggest things I would look at other than drivetrain lubing and wear is anywhere that sweat might collect.
- Bar tape
- Bars
- Headset
- BB
- Seatpost clamp
The biggest being the bar tape and handlebars. Especially with alloy bars it’s super common for sweat to collect under the tape and corrode the bars the point of being structurally unstable.
The others are places that might collect sweat if you’re particularly ‘drippy’.
After 3 years of trainer use it might be worth getting a mechanic to take a look at it. But most bike wear and tear comes from dirt and grit getting into moving parts so it’s probably not too bad unless you’re super sweaty.
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thanks! fortunately, i have a very cool training area and “sweat catchers” so i dont think sweats a big issue.
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Nice, I’d still probably recommend re-taping the bars to be able to check underneath.
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You never know…and it doesn’t take much sweat to start to build up a corrosive effect, even on aluminum bars.
Just swap out your tape and check the bars while you do it. The point of maintenance is to avoid major issues, so do the little stuff (change your tape) to avoid the big stuff (handlebars breaking from corrosion).
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wow…you convinced me, thanks
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Did you have it checked out after you bought it on marketplace? I have a dedicated bike on my trainer and I lube the chain, derailleur pivots, and jockey wheels. I check chain wear, and adjust/tune up shifting. Like others mentioned, sweat can eat through aluminum bars so that deserves checking.
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No one mentioned pedals yet. Check those things out! I completely seized a pair of Speedplay pedals when the sweat got into the bearings (they were pre-buyout) and literally destroyed the needle bearings with excessive rust. I was amazed they were so bad, and why didn’t I hear them screaming? Noise cancelling earbuds! They work very well.
One thing to do is ride it as is until something major breaks, and then fix it up, and ride it again until it breaks again. For me, I sweat a lot, it might be a month or less. I mean, if it works currently, Ride on!!
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On my dedicated trainer bike …
I wax the chain 2 times a year on 1/1 and 7/1 (unless is begins to squeak and then as necessary)
I replace the bar tape only on the tops every few years, I leave the drops bare, I don’t ride the drops often enough to worry about tape.
Anything else would only be touched or maintained if it broke. Weirdly I moved the bike while cleaning the room last summer and broke the derailleur hanger. I can only assume it was already worn out over the years and moving it was the last straw.
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A couple things I do:
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I actually don’t even put bar tape on my trainer bike anymore. It’s just the exposed aluminum and I wipe it down after every ride.
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I do try and take good care of the chain as every watt counts in these tough TR sessions and I want that drivetrain to be as efficient as possible.
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My pedals (SPD) have gotten very noisy as well and I do see some rust on the springs. I started putting a little dry lube on the springs every couple rides and they are much quieter now.
Keep an eye on the headset for sure. The bearings in mine are totally seized up from I assume corrosion. I can’t even turn the bars anymore. The bike is fully dedicated for my TR sessions so I’ve pretty much ignored it, but I fear what it might look like inside if I ever service it.
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Big concern here isn’t the fact that the headset won’t turn (and may never even be salvageable), but the fact that the bearing can, in theory, corrode bad enough to swell and deform or crack the headtube, steerer, or both. That’s based on a story I heard from one of my bike fitters.
So you don’t need to keep the headset in good working order but you need to keep it headset-shaped at least 
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