Pre-emptively replacing parts

[TomWood]

So I broke a chain during a pedal kick a little while back. That sucked, but no real injuries. Got a new chain - stronger this time hopefully - and now I know to just replace that every now and then as the forces are pretty violent on them.

I also found out that my rotors had cracked in multiple spots where the bolts are. That was scary to see so I got new rotors. 

I'm running a pretty entry-level setup with Avid BB5s and some FR5 levers and starting to get concerned about the play I feel in them and wondering if they're on their way out. 

 

My question is about how often I should just replace this stuff. Do the brake rotors/calipers/levers/cables need replacing every year or so? Contemplating just getting brand new levers/cables/housing but not sure about calipers. What about stem/stem bolts? Still learnign as a rider and definitely not smooth, but I'm starting to hit slightly bigger drops and gaps. 

[Swoofty]

If you're riding 3-5 times a week, replacing a chain every 3 months isn't unheard of; annually at the very least. Also has the benefit of not wearing out your cogs so quickly.  The interval on a brake system is a bit more of a grey area. You can pretty much tell when pads need replacing and sadly I'm a bit of a cheapskate on rotors and only replace them when bent or too contaminated to clean properly. I don't own calipers that measure down to .01mm so the manufacturers guidelines are useless to me.  I use hydraulic brakes so can't say about lever/cable/caliper. I've done a caliper rebuild once, but now I'm more likely to just replace the whole system if it comes to that again (I use Magura MT4 or MT5 so only $35 or $64 to replace). From what I remember about BB7s, the calipers were pretty solid. The levers can develop play, as you said, but unless that bothers you, they'll keep working fine. The cable can definitely do with replacing regularly, but no clue on a specific interval.

I have yet to replace a stem or stem bolts. Handlebars get replaced when they have visible damage. It sounds like your already checking the appropriate critical areas. Just keep it up and you'll be fine.  

[Alex Dark]

I would personally only be replacing chains and brake pads on a periodical basis. Rotors should not be cracking , especially with the force a BB5 and a new rider can exert on them. 
 

Anything aluminium can and will fatigue, the most likely culprits in my experience being very old magura slaves , forks ( normally magura mount ) handlebars and crank arms. This is usually fairly rare though. Nearly all riders change most of their bike if not their whole bike every 2 / 3 years or so , so most of this risk is negated. That being said intelligent ( higher end and not too worn out ) component choice can mean a bike can reliable beyond this while just replacing consumables ( like chains , pads etc )

[aener]

Just a sanity check here, because rotors aren't things that usually crack: Are you using floating rotors? (With an aluminium centre piece.) If you are, don't.
There's a few high-tier exceptions, but the overwhelming rule of thumb is that floating rotors and trials don't mix.

I run BB5s and know from experience some of the play will probably be pad rock. If you lock the brake on and push the bike back and forth, you'll see the pad clips move a bit inside the caliper. This is normal, and not a problem.
If you are experiencing more movement than that can explain, something might be amiss.

[TomWood]

52 minutes ago, aener said:

Just a sanity check here, because rotors aren't things that usually crack: Are you using floating rotors? (With an aluminium centre piece.) If you are, don't.
There's a few high-tier exceptions, but the overwhelming rule of thumb is that floating rotors and trials don't mix.

[...]

No weird setup. Avid G2 Cleansweep rotors, 6-bolt. Cracked in multiple spots around the rotor bolts. The material around that area isn't very burly, but this was still a shock to me. Wish I had taken a photo but I can't find one in my phone. 

The play I was referring to is in the lever itself. There appears to be a bushing around the pin that holds the lever into the lever clamp and that bushing seems to be very worn down after only a couple years allowing the lever to float all over the place. 

Edited August 23, 2022 by TomWood

[NINJА]

I think you should ideally be able to fully maintenance your bike. I don't trust even a good mechanic because sometime they may forget something and when you do all by yourself you have more confidence in your bike.

 

About replacements:

Chain ~once a year (I ride 3-5 times a week too)

Brake pads obviously doesn't matter, you'll notice the wear.

Some other stuff like bearings also doesn't matter, you'll notice it and they won't cause any threat to your health.

The one thing really matter is inspecting your frame/forks for cracks and, of course swapping them with some time period, but giving advice here is impossible because there are too many factors need to be considered (amount of stress you putting on your bike).

Trials bikes are pretty simple, there are nothing to worry about. MTB's for example are way worse in this case, 2 weeks ago I got a few lite injuries falling of some tiny 1m drop to concrete because my drive-train got stuck (cassette and chain was worn off too much + not ideally tuned derailleur ) during wheelie-drop.

So, look for cracks and swap frames/forks periodically, once 3-7 years maybe? Because as far as I know the worst injuries comes from snapped forks and frames, not chains.

[TomWood]

Thanks for the advice. Fortunately, I was a mechanic for a few years so I am doing all my own work. That definitely helps. I've been checking for cracks around head-tube and fork. 

You're right that it's hard to determine how much wear and tear the bike gets. While I'm not doing moves as big as most riders here, I am definitely not as smooth as them and probably drop my bike a fair bit more. 

Overall it sounds like I may be a bit too scared of breaking key parts. The stuff is fairly overbuilt.