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

paddie9

Thanks, it's the bite on the body, the small cog on the cassette space is totally smooth. Cog just spins.

paddie9

I'm sure however looking at over 100, if there was someway I could identify what it is a dt swiss etc.. are 40. Simple replacement

jebidiah

How would and should one degrease/clean a chain cleaning tool?

devonp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120400196#Comment_120400196

i have the park tool one, its good, no problems , always use it to tighten valve core on replacement Swalbe tubes ..they're not always tight

vintcerf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120403159#Comment_120403159

Maybe turps or white spirit? I've stopped using mine and now I just - remove the chain -> shake in white spirits -> shake in methylated spirits -> install -> lube. It really is a quick process

growleaves

If I put a rusted chain in a basin of degreaser how long should I leave it in for?

Should I put grease on it then afterwards?

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120410527#Comment_120410527

Id give it a scrub using a stiff bristled brush, rather than just leave it sit. That should help remove rust too (assuming is just flash rusted). Once its degreased and derusted, then I'd wash it with soapy water, dry it, and add lube. Lube is easier to add once the chain is back on the bike

DaveyDave

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120398768#Comment_120398768

So it seems the limit screw is fine but in the lowest gear it's a little bit short of hitting the limit. I'll need to adjust the cable tension on it so the derailleur is more in line with the gear.

New issue, when I roll backwards a little bit sometimes the chain drops 2-3 gears. I read somewhere that this is common for 12 speed Shimano micro spline but I'm not familiar with them. I also noticed when coasting sometimes there's some sort of friction/whirring feeling each time the wheel rotates.

Took the wheel off, cassette spins fine, no play on the centrelock rotor. Only thing I notice is the rear hub bearing doesn't spin as easily by hand as the front, nothing sticking just feels like slight drag. I'll see what the bike shop says but it's a "trust me something is off" as nothing is obviously wrong...

Mapaputsi

Currently have a 53/39 crankset installed on the race bike. Want to swap out the inner 39 for a 36. Anything I should look out for in terms of the derailleur? It would seem to me that the position of the front derailleur is more dictated by the large chainring than the small.

Idleater

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120418540#Comment_120418540

Will a 36 ring fit the BCD of your crank?

I run 36/52 on a standard Force derailleur so I imagine you should be fine with whatever you have. That said, I run a 11/26 cassette so you might have to factor that in.

magicbastarder

53/34 is a different setup to your 52/36 - the issue would be the greater difference in ring size, but i suspect a derailleur capable of dealing with 52/34 should be able to deal with 53/34. so the question is what the model of derailleur in use is (as well as the ring compatibility with the crankset)

hesker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120418857#Comment_120418857

OP is asking about 53/36 rather than 53/34

I’d say it should be fine assuming the BCD match is ok. Chain wrap would be the bigger concern and should be checked. Would be a problem with 53/34 I’d say.

magicbastarder

cheers, i misread that!

Ubbquittious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117318985#Comment_117318985

Is this a little black filler cap on the round part of the hub ? I have a 3 speed and I am wondering what oil to pour into it. Has not been oiled in about 40 years I think so might need to be flushed out as well.

sell9999

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119677191#Comment_119677191

I've got the same issue - new TA wheels with a QR frame and would appreciate some guidance.

Do I need two separate solutions for front and back i.e. a 12mm to 9mm adapter like the Dymoece on Amazon for the front and a QR hub adapter for the rear to change from 142mm to 135mm

Or do I need a QR hub adapter and a 12mm to 9mm adapter for the rear?

I've been searching for an integrated solution to avoid using both a 12mm to 9mm adapter and separate QR skewers but haven't managed to find anything.

Is there any better (or cheaper) options for the front wheel than the adapter and QR skewers?

Looks it will cost almost €100 for all of the above which is annoying as I didn't anticipate the extra cost due to confusion on the wheel description between QR & TA plus Bike24 ship the same wheels with QR adapters

nicksnikita

Hi all,

I have a Trek Marlin 5 2018 that currently has no front brake.

The bike was originally supplied with Tektro HD-M285 brakes so I plan to get one of those to put on the front.

Link here: https://www.bike24.com/p2340481.html?searchTerm=tektro%20&source=SBP&indexName=production_SEARCH_INDEX_EN&objectId=TEK440298&queryId=3bf389cc2aa8df2070f8d9606a55ca95&userToken=c4457ef2-ba63-468f-8b7c-181eb07f44b4

questions:

1: What size disc do I need to order? The options are 160mm or 180mm.

2: Will the brake fit the bike without an adapter or what adapter do I need?

3: Will the brake come pre-filled with hydraulic oil and ready to install in that regard?

Thanks in advance

DaveyDave

Thoughts on this? Felt a slight grinding when coasting last week but it didn't always happen and nothing obvious when off the bike. Now it's making noise but again only seems to happen when on the bike, possibly just due to how often I'm coasting on the trails compared to spinning the wheel by hand a few times.

Had to get my gears adjusted last week as they were suddenly way off, whatever is happening seems to be throwing the gears off. When I start to pedal the chain seems to have to find the right gear again even though they were shifting nice and crisp earlier in the day.

https://youtube.com/shorts/TAWelTgtbh4?feature=share

Squidgy Black

I’d take the cassette off and check the free hub and also the wheel bearings

68 lost souls

Finally I am nearly finished a strip down and rebuild of my bike with a new bottom bracket, chain, cassette and chain ring, small ring had loads of life so just the big ring on the old chain set.

The new bottom bracket seems a bit stiff and I had to do a good bit of adjusting on limit screws when indexing the gears. I had reinstalled the crankset with a rubber and steel washer between the spider and BB and the left crank and BB as I believe this is how it was previous. The washer seems bigger than the spindle of the crankset by quiet a bit. Am I right in thinking this is where that washer came from and do I need it?

for clarity it is a press for 86.5 Bb with a shimano fc-4700

nicksnikita

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120460133#Comment_120460133

Make sure you haven’t over tightened the central black plastic screw.

Loosen the pinch bolts on the non drive side, tighten the black plastic screw a bit and see if it spins freely...

CramCycle

I don't recall a washer, would it be a part of the old BB that came off?

68 lost souls

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120461738#Comment_120461738

I'm pretty sure its a part number Y1F316000. This bit https://www.bike-discount.de/en/shimano-o-ring-for-crank-arm-universal?number=20018939&__delivery=12&__currency=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwitShBhA6EiwAq3RqA8BEq0b71-EIlRAy8LRABbbcu65RNSlWZV6y62OeDrmlPmyKA1egtBoC0qYQAvD_BwE

But I was wondering if it was part of the old BB as that was smashed to bits when I was removing it.

I will try as Nicks suggested and see if that helps

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120463977#Comment_120463977

My Old BB had that when it disintegrated. I took off the cranks and couldn't fit the cranks on the new BB but it was a part of the old BB on it that looked like a spacer but was just actually part of the BB

paddie9

If it helps anyone, finally got a freehub for giant slr wheel. It was a dt swiss 3 pawl, cost 40 euro.

Stone Deaf 4evr

Without starting a new thread, has anyone here any experience with building their own bike?

I'm quite taken with the idea of trying to assemble something bases around the Elves Falath or Elgath frames.

There are some great youtube channels that go through the pros and cons of this, but I'm curious to see how people fared out with deliveries, taxes, import duty etc. Theres savings to be made over buying similar specced 'regular' bikes, but I'd like to gauge just how much hidden cost there is.

magicbastarder

i built my own bike, but BB and headset were already installed. and it's a rim brake bike. there was the occasional cursing at it, but glad i did it; but i'm reasonably handy.

Stone Deaf 4evr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120465475#Comment_120465475

Yeah, I've no doubts on the actual physical task of building it, I'd be quite handy myself, and have access to all the tools that would be needed.

I'm more concerned about potential nightmares like packages getting held up by customs / lost, arriving damaged etc.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120465395#Comment_120465395

It really depends on whether you find the frame and components you will be happy with altogether or not. There is a huge cost saving if you like the frame and components and I will die on that hill.

But....

If you can get the frame separate and you can't buy it with the spec you want, then building it is the way to go, the cost of upgrading a bike off the shelf, if a complete overhaul, is not worth it.

Hindsight being what it is, with the exception of one bike, I wish I'd went hunting for the frame separately but my racing bike from Rose came with everything I wanted for the cost of the components alone and a frame I love to this day.

(Except the handlebars, but I am weird and don't like "normal" width handlebars. Rose would have fitted the ones I wanted at cost if they sold them at the time.)

How Soon Is Now

Bought new mudguards last night so was fiddling around with the bike to make sure everything was compatible with them. I noticed that some how none of my Allen keys fit the bolt that goes into the brake callipers! Far as I know its a 5mm one that's needed and the only one I have is on my multi tool which is to small.

Now I'm after looking online and there are a million and one different types and knowing my luck ill be the wrong one! haha.

This is the bike I'm working with Cannondale CAAD Optimo 1 Road Bike - Road Bikes - Cycle SuperStore so you can see the clearance for the bolts.

Any ideas what type I should go for? Be handy if I could get hold of it before or over the weekend.

Idleater

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120471753#Comment_120471753

>>> Far as I know its a 5mm

Did you try a 6mm?