I’m going to have a bit of time off over the holidays and thought maybe I should do a deep tune-up for my bikes.
My main gravel and XC bikes have AXS, waxed chains, and I keep the bike relatively clean (wash them with they get too dirty), but otherwise don’t do much with them.
I remember growing up that some people would take the bike completely apart and clean and lube everything. Is that necessary these days? I assume there are a lot more sealed bearings, etc. If so, what do people do (and is there a youtube video I can follow along with)?
I would pull out the cranks and bb. A lot of gunk can accumulate down there. Clean that up and possibly repack the bearing and replace the seals.
Headset not so much.
Pulley wheels need an inspection. One is tight the other should have play.
A brake bleed and new pads.
And a derailleur adjustment should finish it off.
With modern bikes with electronic drivetrain, there really isn’t that much to it. Especially if you wax your chains. I’ll pull things apart enough to clean/lube/inspect everything. With cable/hose routing through the headset, I’ll typically just disassemble enough to inspect the headset bearing and clean and apply some grease for ongoing rust prevention. Replace all coin cell batteries in shifters, PM, speed sensor, etc.. Pull the crank and clean/grease. Flush/bleed brakes, check rotors for thickness and warping. New brake pads (if not already newish) and clean pistons. Pull free hub and clean and lube. True/tension wheels as needed. Replace any questionable bearings, don’t forget the wheels. Check rim tape and retape if needed. New bar tape if needed. Remove jockey wheels from RD and clean bearings. I generally like to just disassemble/reassemble everything I can to inspect and lube (pull RD, stem, seat post and seat, bottle cages, chainring, RD, etc.). None of it takes much time and it’s just a good way to get the bike “like new” again and identify any issues with corrosion or wear. For MTB, suspension service and check all pivot bearings/bushings. I wouldn’t do it every year, but I’ll put in a new bearing/bushing kit for a FS bike every few years. My tires get swapped in and out so often that I don’t consider them a maintenance item, but it’s worth pulling them off and cleaning out old dried sealant if they have been on the bike for a while. Clean clogged valve stems and install fresh cores.
And much of this also depends on usage. My road bike is my indoor training bike and gets a bunch of use, but might make it outside a couple times a year. I can’t remember the last time I’ve done anything besides swap the chain on that bike. But my gravel and MTB both get thousands of miles per year in all kinds of weather and muck, so they get torn down at least annually.
It’s really a personal thing with many variables at play.
Indoor trainer bikes can look like they’ve been to the bottom of the ocean due to differences in how people sweat and if their sweat composition is particularly acidic or not. Similarly, if you crossed a river once, even with minimal miles, you might’ve wrecked your bottom bracket bearings, sealed bearings be damned.
You can go by feel pretty easily by testing each component with a steady hand and feeling it out, that’s really a much better gauge than what any forum reply can give you.
Your LBS likely has a list showing everything they do if you bring your bike in for an annual tuneup. They, of course, do everything at once. For me it’s more of a continuous process. I’m always inspecting things and keep a spreadsheet for each bike showing any work, mods, routine maintenance, etc. that I’ve done. I can look at that and see that it’s been X months since I did Y so should probably do Y again.