Reddit reviews Tri-Flow TF21010 Superior Lubricant with Drip Bottle- 2 oz

I've created a short list of everything I have, linked items are the ones that I recommend.

Things for the road

Frame/ Mini pump

Saddle Bag

Patch Kit

Tire Boot (You can make your own for cheap, but these are still good)

Tire levers (See Multi-Tool, Levers Included)

Multi Tool (Super-Recommend)

Bike Lights

Spare Tubes (Optional for the road)

Bottles of choice

Sunglasses of choice

Gloves of choice (Important! For preventing impossible-to-heal palm scrapes)

Cycling compter

U Lock (no cable locks! they're garbage) <<I Have 3 of these, but then again, I live in Oakland.

Things for home

Floor pump

Tools (Pretty much covered by Multi-Tool, but there's things you may need like cassette tool, chain whip, etc)

Wet and Dry chain lube

Clothing (Optional, I only have the shoes and windbreaker)

Hi-Vis Jacket

Clipless shoes, I recommend SPD for easier walking

Jersey

Padded Shorts, or Bib shorts

Windbreaker

Leg Warmers

Most importantly, you need knowledge of cycling. Look up videos on youtube about safe riding on the road, traffic laws, hand signals, how to repair your bike on the road and at home, how to take a fall, and as much theory that you can)

EDIT: Do not let me trick you into thinking that a multi-tool is a replacement for the big-boy tools that are available on the market. Some of those tools are actually worth the investment. However, be that as it may, do your research first, because there's some overpriced crap out there ^^^Park ^^^Tools.

Buy this grease:

White lightning grease

Buy this general lubricant:

Triflow

Buy this multi-tool:

Alien II It includes all common allen and wrench sizes, a chain breaker, and spoke wrench.

Buy this socket set:

Ice tools 8 x 9 x 10

Get this adjustable wrench:

Wrench

Buy these tire levers:

Park tool levers

With all of that you should have more than enough to do basic maintenance with under $80 worth of tools.

As you get more skilled, you'll need some specialized tools for the bottom brackets, headsets, and cones on your wheels but those will vary by type/bike, and in time you will own multiple bikes so buy the tools when you when you need them.

> triflow

Just found out about it thanks to this thread, I will give it a try. I see they have many different types, is this the one you guys are using? Has anyone tried their grease for bike ball bearings?

From watching the Andytube channel on youtube where he disassembles and cleans a couple of slant-shank machines, I've started using the Triflow oil he recommends on my 500 and 404, and both run super smoothly now.

Yes. I ordered the Tri-flow, but there are others as well.

I presoak gently with a water hose (basically sprinkle and get all the loose dirt off). I then spray diluted simple green on the chain and cassette. I let that sit while I whip up a bucket of simple green with my bike brushes ( http://www.amazon.com/Pedros-Pro-Brush-Kit/dp/B002PPMR54 ).

I then rinse the drive train off and use the cassette tool to scrub the chain and cassette. I scrub the chain while it’s on the chain ring to help keep it in one place and get 3 sides of it really good. Then you can get the inside of the chain while it is between the cassette and crank. Then move to the chain rings and derailleurs. Once those are clean the rest just needs a basic brushing.

I usually also take care to get the brake calipers brushed out and the rim since you will get a lot of dust and dirt in there. Then rinse the bike down. You can then wipe the bike with a towel and bounce gentle on the wheels to get the excess water off. Oil your chain links, derailleurs and if needed the pedals. I use Triflow because of the awesome banana smell. http://www.amazon.com/Flow-Teflon-Bicycle-Lube-2oz/dp/B0002ITTK2

DO NOT spray high pressure water in the bottom bracket or anywhere else that you could possibly rinse out grease from. Substituting water for grease isn't a good idea.

First. READ UP ON HYDRAULIC BRAKES BEFORE YOU START. DO NOT ALLOW THE LEVERS TO COMPRESS W/O A ROTOR OR BLEED BLOCK BETWEEN THE PADS OR YOU'LL HYPEREXTEND THE PISTONS. OTHERWISE:

You're lucky. If your bike has hydraulic brakes there is probably very little on your bike you can't disassemble with a set of hex keys from 2.5-10mm, possibly a T-25 torx, and a #1 Phillips screwdriver. Depending on your wheels you'll need cone wrenches to set the bearings and depending on your crankset and bottom bracket you MAY need specialty tools. To work on your cassette (I'm ASSUMING CASSETTE DUE TO HYDRAULIC BRAKES) you'll need a cassette lockring tool AND a chainwhip (or other method to hold onto the cassette).

Let's see some specs or photos.



When it comes to assembly, though, especially for the stem and saddle, torque matters.

$7 Park Polylube or $10 Phil's waterproof grease or Marine grease

and

$6 TriFlow or $8 Finish Line Dry

and

$8 lifetime supple of anti-sieze for all metal-to-metal (including threads) which does not move or get frequently disassembled

and



$16 at Sears, $10 at Harbor Freight socket-drive Allen set

0-9 nM torque wrench for $22. A VERY useful range extension over the 0-7 of the Park Tool TW-1. And do not be afraid of cheap beam wrenches! Be afraid of expensive clickers but not cheap beam!

$2 T-25 socket drive (brake rotors)

$15 chain tool

$7 cassette lockring tool

$7 shitty chainwhip (you need something to hold cassette to use cassette lockring tool)

I strongly suggest the above torque wrench (or its equivalent) for all small bolts on a bike. If you want to be safe with the big bolts (mostly on the bottom bracket and crankset depending on styles) you also need:

$25 at Sears, $15-20 at Harbor Freight or auto parts stores high-torque torque wrench (Much less often needed)

EDIT: Spelling fixes and some minor rewording.

WD-40 is a little bit of lubricant in a lot of solvent. It's primarily solvent.

As others said, it's fine for metal-on metal contact for pieces that move relatively infrequently, but for something like a bike chain where all of the parts are in constant motion you need a thicker lube.

That being said, bike lubes are not any more expensive than WD-40 unless you get into some really esoteric stuff. Tri-flow isn't my favorite lube, but it works just fine and doesn't exactly cost a lot. Spending $6 on something that's going to last you a couple of years is no financial burden for anyone.

You should lube the cables. Ask a local bike shop what they recommend. I used "Tri-Flow" which you can pick up at a bicycle shop. They don't advertise it for motorcycles but it does a great job.
http://www.amazon.com/Tri-Flow-TF21010-Superior-Lubricant-Bottle/dp/B0002ITTK2

Also check the path of the clutch cable, make sure that it has a smooth path without any kinks.