the 'there's no such thing as a stupid question' bike maintenance thread

magicbastarder

my rear zonda has developed a tiny bit of 'play', as in it can rock slightly on the bearings, with about a mm or so of travel out at the rim. is it just a case of tightening it up at the bearings slightly?

DaveyDave

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119097159#Comment_119097159

A slight adjustment of the bolt on the hub should do the job. I think it's 2mm?

magicbastarder

yep, that was very simple - i hadn't realised the dust cap also screws in to take up slack, and that's what that bolt was designed for, a 2 minute job. it's a 2.5mm allen key FWIW.

PaulieC

Anything I can do to stop squealing disc brakes ? Cleaned and got new pads recently, but front disc is still a bit moany

cletus

A light sanding of both disc and pads can help

PaulieC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119106917#Comment_119106917

I had read about cleaning and sanding the pads, but the discs too ? I would never have thought to do that.

magicbastarder

i think sanding the discs is belt and braces stuff, the pads get contaminated far more easily than the rotors.

my routine is drop the pads in some boiling hot water with degreaser added, leave them there for a few minutes, take them out, hit them with a heat gun, and then a light sanding with 400 grit paper usually. probably overkill, but to a man with a hammer...

cletus

You can get wear patterns in the discs, and it seems that it can cause resonance. It's and easy enough thing to do, might be worth giving it a shot if you've sorted the pads already

fryup

My road bike chain won't go on the 'outermost' cog what do i need to adjust?

hesker

Back out the L screw a bit. If that doesn’t do it you might need to adjust the cable

cletus

As hesker says, but I'd do it in the opposite order😁. Once youve shifted as far outboard as the shifter allows, check tension on the cable. If it's tight, adjust cable. If it's slack, then L screw.

One other thing worth checking would be whether you can move the derailleur outboard with your hand. Stuck derailleur is another option

Elvis Hammond

If needed, it's H screw that's adjusted in this case, not L.

cletus

You are absolutely correct, Elvis. Apologies

fryup

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119193739#Comment_119193739

clockwise or anticlockwise? a quarter turn?

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119194927#Comment_119194927

Anticlockwise. You want to back the screw out (lefty loosely 😁).

Quarter turn at a time, you'll see the derailleur and hear the chain

fryup

and does Elvis adhere? 😙

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119195011#Comment_119195011

I'm not sure how sticky he is, but I hope he concurs 😂

fryup

^^^^^^^^^^

no need to be cheeky

Adhere: believe in and follow the practices of.😑

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119195092#Comment_119195092

😁😁😁

Seth Brundle

Am I mistaken in thinking that, if there is a barrel adjuster then one should turn that before one would start altering the H or L screws?

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119195126#Comment_119195126

Nope, your not. As I said above, check the cable first, then the limit screw. It's most often the cable. Limit screws are more or less set and forget

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119195126#Comment_119195126

if the indexing is fine on the other cogs, i wouldn't turn it just yet; easier and quicker to check a limit screw than it is to reindex gears if you throw the indexing off with the barrel adjuster.

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119195204#Comment_119195204

Yeah, I'd only adjust the cable if there was tension on it when shifted as far outboard as possible. That's an easy enough check.

Marty Bird

Morning Guys,

I’m currently riding a set of Mavic Cosmic Carbons Pro Exalith the rear wheel has developed a crack, I was looking online for a suitable replacement would this one below be fine ? I currently have Shimano Ultegra R8000 group set and it’s a rim break. Thanks.

https://www.deporvillage.net/mavic-cosmic-sl-40-rear-wheel-for-shimano-11v-tubeless-core

Marty Bird

Also I need a new cassette and chain what’s the difference in the sizing and what should I go for? Thanks again.

JMcL

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119200433#Comment_119200433

How big you can go will depend on whether your rear derailleur is short or mid cage. Shimano have a document with a guide as to what works with what, but if memory serves they recommend max 28 largest sprocket for the short cage, medium cage will go up to 34. They're also noted for being quite conservative in these recommendations, but I'd read up about it before trying to push the boundaries.

What size depends on what you're doing. If you've legs like oak trees and want to not have a big jumps in gearing (effectively if you're racing), look at 11-25. Otherwise 11-28 if you're on short cage, and 11-32 or 11-34 if you're not bothered about gaps in gearing and want to make it easy as possible to get up hills.

Look at 105 components if you want to save some cash at the expense of a few extra grams

[Edit: Fixed typo in original]

Marty Bird

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119201963#Comment_119201963

Thanks for the info, I’m brutal for any of this tech stuff would this be ok for my set up ?

https://www.deporvillage.net/shimano-ultegra-r8000-11-speed-lc-cassette

11-32 for the cassette

https://www.deporvillage.net/shimano-ultegra-xt-hg701-chain-11-speeds-116-ql-links

And this chain ?

magicbastarder

if you've the short cage derailleur, officially it can only go up to 30 teeth on the cassette. i suspect there's wiggle room there though.

CramCycle

Most chains will be longer than you need, count the links in your current chain and shorten your new chain to match (you'll have to buy a chain breaker if you don't have one). Same for the cassette, unless there was something wrong with the gearing, get the same again. You'll need a shimano lockring tool to tighten the cassette up once you put it on.

I'd recommend getting a chain with a quick link (not a pin) as they are easier to fit IMO.

If you are around South Dublin or South Wexford I'll lend you whatever tools you need

Marty Bird

Thanks for the info guys, the rear wheel I linked earlier would that be a like for like replacement on my current one ?