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

MediaMan

dahat wrote: »

I've been taking wheel off and replacing while on the bike stand so possible it's slightly out of position alright.

Just to endorse what others have said, this is pretty much guaranteed to leave the wheel out of alignment. If you install a wheel when on the bike stand, you need to then put the bike on the ground, lean on the bars or saddle as appropriate and open and re-close the QR. You will feel the wheel move fully into the dropouts as you do it.

MileyReilly

Do you know if being very over weight would cause a wheel to untrue?

Type 17

Only if the tension of the wheel was poor in the first place - ie: a lighter person can ride a bike with poorly-tensioned wheels and get away with it, but someone who weighs more will bring out any flaws the wheels have.

Whats best practice for a bike thats going to be off the road for a prolonged period (up to a year) Enfilade jr. #2 will be here soon so I plan on scrubbing my partners bike to start and keep it covered. It will be kept in the shed which is well insulated and not leaky.

Miklos

Deleted User wrote: »

Whats best practice for a bike thats going to be off the road for a prolonged period (up to a year) Enfilade jr. #2 will be here soon so I plan on scrubbing my partners bike to start and keep it covered. It will be kept in the shed which is well insulated and not leaky.

Make sure it's well lubricated, keep it on the small ring and smallest sprocket to keep tension on the rear mech to a minimum, keep the tyres topped up.

Wishbone Ash

magicbastarder wrote: »

i never tighten up the QR fully until the bike is sitting on its wheels on the ground. you usually get a slight adjustment in the alignment after taking the bike off the stand and releasing and redoing the QR.

dahat wrote: »

That's actually a very good tip. Thanks.

It's also necessary to do that before adjusting brakes shoes or replacing pads as otherwise, the pads won't be contacting the rim in the exact position they should be.

retalivity

how difficult is it to replace a cassette and chain? Had the bike serviced in the LBS, and they were suggesting that the current drive train hasn't much left in it. They were quoting me 70 quid to replace both with their bog standard cheapo stuff, I had asked for 105 components (as its what is there already and is what the rest of the bike had), they said they would have to order it in, and id be looking at 220-250 for the job. They did not entertain the idea of labour only if i provide the parts, and we seemed to leave on bad terms for me even to suggest it, so i am now wondering if I can do it myself?

fwiw, this 105 cassette & chain set is €63, which is what id be looking to get. Is it easily done? Should i shop around for another LBS??

Plastik

It's a sub 10 minute job when you know what you're doing. For a first timer (you) maybe 30 min. Buy a chain whip, a Shimano lock ring tool, and a chain breaker. Might take your total spend to 100. Buy a Sram chain as they come with a quicklink to snap it back together for ultimate ease.

retalivity

yeah it didnt sound right, but i am a complete noob at bicycle maintenance and would normally just throw money at it to get it done. Will have a look at the other bits needed and the process, thanks

LollipopJimmy

retalivity wrote: »

yeah it didnt sound right, but i am a complete noob at bicycle maintenance and would normally just throw money at it to get it done. Will have a look at the other bits needed and the process, thanks

If you're near D8 I have the tools needed and happy to help.

Wishbone Ash

Plastik wrote: »

..Buy a Sram chain as they come with a quicklink to snap it back together for ultimate ease.

KMC chains also come with a quick link and are much cheaper - I rarely pay more than €20 for one.

OP - Tiagra cassettes are fine with any Shimano groupset. I use them with 105 and Ultegra. They usually cast around €25.

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

If you're near D8 I have the tools needed and happy to help.

....Or if your in the north county Dublin area, I'll gladly do it for you.

retalivity

Cheers lads, i actually live in d8 as well, ill revisit it again later in the summer, may lean on someone then!

Thanks!!

saccades

retalivity wrote: »

how difficult is it to replace a cassette and chain? Had the bike serviced in the LBS, and they were suggesting that the current drive train hasn't much left in it. They were quoting me 70 quid to replace both with their bog standard cheapo stuff, I had asked for 105 components (as its what is there already and is what the rest of the bike had), they said they would have to order it in, and id be looking at 220-250 for the job. They did not entertain the idea of labour only if i provide the parts, and we seemed to leave on bad terms for me even to suggest it, so i am now wondering if I can do it myself?

fwiw, this 105 cassette & chain set is €63, which is what id be looking to get. Is it easily done? Should i shop around for another LBS??

I'd change to another LBS, sounds like either a piss take merchant or more used to bike shaped objects where it's not worth repairing them.

When you use the chain whip for the first time wear gardening gloves or the like, if you are unused to the action required it can catch you out.

LollipopJimmy

retalivity wrote: »

Cheers lads, i actually live in d8 as well, ill revisit it again later in the summer, may lean on someone then!

Thanks!!

Tools are there if you need them anyway. Drop me a PM, you could live on my street lol

vg88

Here's a stupid question.

Got a Giant Rapid 6 years ago and finally the tyres have gone on me. Does anyone know how to measure the size of the wheels or is there a place on the bike that states the size? I'm 184cm so the bike is fairly large.

Or are tyres the same as tubes and generally fit?

Thanks from a noob

magicbastarder

you should be able to read it off the side of the tyres; the rapid probably uses 'standard' wheels, so look for a marking on the side of the tyre that says something like 700x25c or 700x32c.
the second number is the width of the tyre in mm; if you see 700, it's the standard road bike diameter.

if you bring it into any decent local bike shop, they should have replacement tyres to hand.

Type 17

Look on the sidewalls of the tyres - you'll see some number like these: 28-622 (700 x 28c).

The first ones are the ERTRO size - 28mm wide and diameter of 622mm (at the tyre/rim join), and the others are the older metric measure - 700mm diameter at the tyre tread and 28mm wide.

Your tyres could be anywhere from 23-32mm wide (and you can choose different widths to replace the originals, for a change to the comfort/speed trade-off), but all Rapids have this diameter tyres/wheels, regardless of the frame size.

You'll need 622(/700c) tubes if you need replacements (you might not), and you can use tubes with a slightly smaller width than the tyres, but avoid ones with a bigger width than your tyres, as they will be wrinkled on fitting, which in the medium-term, will cause wear on the folds, resulting in a puncture.

vg88

Thanks guys

Thargor

The cantilever brakes on my junk bike have gone to sh1t, it's an old Raleigh MTB. I have access to a few wrecked MTBs all with calliper brakes, what are the chances of me being able to swap them out? Easy or impossible? Just the front will do...

Thargor

Thanks Weepsie for the offer I might end up getting back to you about it.

So it's generally doable then? The same mounting points etc? I don't know a whole lot about brakes.

Type 17

You can convert to linear-pull brakes (v-brakes), because the frame bosses are the same, but be aware that the pull ratio of the levers is different, so you may need new levers too.

FMG

Hi lads, I have a triple chainset with the numbers 48,38,26 on the sprockets. Its am old rockhopper that serves me well around town. The sprockets can be removed/ replaced separately. My question is that seen as the sprockets seem a bit bent and mis-shaped is it possibly to buy replacements and what do I look for online or even can I buy these parts used here on the forum ?. I have pics on google photo's but cannot link sorry.

loyatemu

Type 17 wrote: »

You can convert to linear-pull brakes (v-brakes), because the frame bosses are the same, but be aware that the pull ratio of the levers is different, so you may need new levers too.

I replaced the canti brakes on my beater bike with this v-brake set, includes levers, cables the lot. Massive improvement - of course sods law the freewheel died in the bike the following week and I ended up dumping it, but I kept the brakes and they're now on my sons bike.

saccades

FMG wrote: »

Hi lads, I have a triple chainset with the numbers 48,38,26 on the sprockets. Its am old rockhopper that serves me well around town. The sprockets can be removed/ replaced separately. My question is that seen as the sprockets seem a bit bent and mis-shaped is it possibly to buy replacements and what do I look for online or even can I buy these parts used here on the forum ?. I have pics on google photo's but cannot link sorry.

Looking for chain rings or a chainset.

For mid to high end chainsets you can buy replacement chain rings. For cheaper chainsets they are often pinned in place and you need to replace the lot.

The important number after the number of teeth (you have listed) is the BCD (104 rings bells) to get the matching bolt hole diameter from the axle and the number of arms, normally 4 or 5.

You will find that your chain and cassette (the multiple sprockets at the back) will have all mated together over the years of use and will all need to be replaced otherwise the chain will repeatedly slip.

I don't know how old your bike is, it might have a separate bottom bracket Inthe bottom of the bike that the chainset (sometimes called a crankset) arms are fitted to, or it might be a more modern 2 piece with an external bottom bracket.

Any shop can do this, you might be a little surprised at the price as all the bits that might be required add up. Removing an ancient bottom bracket can take up a number of hours and knuckles.

If you are handy and happy to buy the tools needed it's perfectly possible to do at home.

Wishbone Ash

Have Tiagra 30T cassettes gone off the market? I can't find any in any of the usual online sites.

I've been using them for a few years now as they're relatively inexpensive compared to Ulterga ones. Seems to be loads of 32's which I don't particularly want and the 25's would be heavy going on 20% gradients.

I'll settle for a 28T if the 30's are not being made any more but thought I'd ask here first.

FMG

saccades wrote: »

Looking for chain rings or a chainset.

For mid to high end chainsets you can buy replacement chain rings. For cheaper chainsets they are often pinned in place and you need to replace the lot.

The important number after the number of teeth (you have listed) is the BCD (104 rings bells) to get the matching bolt hole diameter from the axle and the number of arms, normally 4 or 5.

You will find that your chain and cassette (the multiple sprockets at the back) will have all mated together over the years of use and will all need to be replaced otherwise the chain will repeatedly slip.

I don't know how old your bike is, it might have a separate bottom bracket Inthe bottom of the bike that the chainset (sometimes called a crankset) arms are fitted to, or it might be a more modern 2 piece with an external bottom bracket.

Any shop can do this, you might be a little surprised at the price as all the bits that might be required add up. Removing an ancient bottom bracket can take up a number of hours and knuckles.

If you are handy and happy to buy the tools needed it's perfectly possible to do at home.

Its the 3 sprockets in the front, the gap between them fluctuates a bit and sometimes the chain slips between them. Its an old Specialised Rockhopper prob mid 90's but for what I do it was perfect. ( quick spin in town and I could be certain no scummy would be interested).
I haven't a clue re the BCD and the sprockets can come off seperate also the cranks.
I can use the middle sprocket up front and all the rear so it does get me around and your right about the cost, got a price of €150.
I'll just use it while I look out for something to suit me.
Thanks Saccades, great reply.

Paul_Mc1988

Wishbone Ash wrote:

Have Tiagra 30T cassettes gone off the market? I can't find any in any of the usual online sites.

Some on blacks . Co. Uk and retto . Co . Uk sorry i cant post links

saccades

FMG wrote: »

Its the 3 sprockets in the front, the gap between them fluctuates a bit and sometimes the chain slips between them. Its an old Specialised Rockhopper prob mid 90's but for what I do it was perfect. ( quick spin in town and I could be certain no scummy would be interested).
I haven't a clue re the BCD and the sprockets can come off seperate also the cranks.
I can use the middle sprocket up front and all the rear so it does get me around and your right about the cost, got a price of €150.
I'll just use it while I look out for something to suit me.
Thanks Saccades, great reply.

Happy to help.

Ah, now I know the era I can advise you properly.

It's a square taper bottom bracket, Shimano alivio groupset, 7 speed hyperdrive-C, well it was originally.

Get onto retrobike.co.uk, post a wanted add and why. Mention you are in Ireland, most people are happy to help on old bikes, will be dirt cheap to get a like for like replacement at that level as the stuff people want are higher end and have alivio floating about unloved. Does the whole crank wobble about, the arms or just the rings btw?

Might still cost a chunk to get that fitted though.

I'd suggest that you go to Halfords and spend 110 euro on the adult ridge 26" bike if there is nothing sentimenal about the rockhopper. Give it a quick **** spray of undercoat all over everything, then badly hammerite the frame to make it undesirable to thieves.

Just bought the nipper the smaller version at 68 euro and it's a crazy low price for a perfectly functional bike.

Although pretty much everything on it will swap over to the rockhopper if you wanted.

Wishbone Ash

Paul_Mc1988 wrote: »

Some on blacks . Co. Uk and retto . Co . Uk sorry i cant post links

Great stuff Paul. 2 ordered from Blacks. (Never heard of them before!). Thanks.

FMG

Saccades, I suppose its not worth the bother of fixing up esp with bikes so well priced new. I can use it as is for a while and will buy soon. Great help altogether, thank you so much.