![\"Bianchi](\"http:\/\/www.ridelikeaturtle.com\/sport\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/4-2014-09-27-14.44.20.jpg\")
<\/a>The old Bianchi Ti Megatube, getting a few miles in France after a long hibernation.<\/p><\/div>\n
I’ve had this bike for quite some time, brought from the US when I moved to Dublin, and the brought to France when we purchased a second home there. While it’s been on the road a couple of times, for the most part it has languished at the back of the cave, covered, and locked up. I took it out for a quick spin several months ago (it’s been so long I can’t even remember exactly what month that was), and I noticed that when I stood on the pedals, that familiar *creak* and *ping* you hear when the bottom bracket bearings are grinding could be heard.<\/p>\n
As I’d never serviced the bottom bracket, and this is something that should probably be done every year or so, I was feeling a little nervous. The bike is 18 years old… and the bottom bracket has never been apart? And the bike has been stationary, more or less, for the last 8 years? This did not bode well.<\/p>\n
The last thing I wanted to do was bugger the\u00a0titanium frame. But I was willing to give it a shot myself, and having organized the tools and replacement bottom bracket, I was ready.<\/p>\n
I shouldn’t have been so worried. A toothbrush and WD-40 does wonders for cleaning away dirt, and with the cranks removed and bottom-bracket removal tool firmly in place, it came apart without so much as a whimper. Whomever put it together used a lot of copper grease (anti-seize compound), which did exactly what it was supposed to do.<\/p>\n
<\/a>How all this grit and crud gets in there, I do not know. But it’s nice to have it cleared!<\/p><\/div>\n
What was revealed when apart was, to me, shocking. How does all that grit and crud get into the frame? But “get in there” it does; at least now I have the opportunity to get it out, and put in the new bottom bracket, which will – from now on – be regularly serviced and should last a very very long time.<\/p>\n
Cleaning the bike generally was another quick fix. Washing out the old lube, dirt and muck from the chain is always a chore, but you know when you’re getting to that point, you’re on the downside of your maintenance, and it’s actually a therapeutic action.<\/p>\n
One thing I was hoping to avoid was getting new tires and tubes – but again, if you leave your bike stored for literally years, then this is such a minor issue that you should just bite the bullet and get new ones. The old tires I had on it – Continental 3000s – were so dried out that the rear tire split after I went over a speed bump at 20mph. Fortunately I was a 5-minute walk from home when it happened. A trip to the local sports megastore got me new Michelin Lithion.2 rubber, making the transformation complete.<\/p>\n