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

Izoard

Rubbing sound coming from the cranks (Canyon Ultimate).

Sounds for all the world as a rub on the rim (it is not , but lots of commentary when on a group ride...:o), have had a few attempts to lube the cranks/bearings, but no joy?

brianomc

A friend of mine bought a secondhand mountain bike with UST wheels and tubeless tyres. He wants to go with tubes instead, the bike will never be used on trails or anything, just roads/cycleways.

Has anyone any experience with this? Is it as easy as just sticking a tube and a clincher tyre on and away he goes? It's a 26" Mavic xm819 rim.

CramCycle

dahat wrote: »

If I try to move the crank arms there is some play which seems like a BB to me, safe to assume this?
It seems to be a BB72, tcr advanced 1.

Any idea on lbs charges for a replacement? Headset last week and bb this week.... Gggrrgghhhh

BB will be under 30euro plus labour. If there is not much work involved then sub 40euro

brianomc wrote: »

A friend of mine bought a secondhand mountain bike with UST wheels and tubeless tyres. He wants to go with tubes instead, the bike will never be used on trails or anything, just roads/cycleways.

Has anyone any experience with this? Is it as easy as just sticking a tube and a clincher tyre on and away he goes? It's a 26" Mavic xm819 rim.

would he just no leave it as is for the moment and carry a tube/pump? This said, it is tubeless ready so as you asked, he can just stick on a suitable clincher and tube.

brianomc

CramCycle wrote: »

would he just no leave it as is for the moment and carry a tube/pump? This said, it is tubeless ready so as you asked, he can just stick on a suitable clincher and tube.

Cheers, he wanted to change it from thick MTB tyres to maybe a 35mm with a more commuter-tyre like profile.

GeneralC

Excellent thread. So much great information

I purchased a new bike and I have a questions, if someone would kindly answer?

I typcially ride every day for 30km's and then on the weekends, I'd do a 75km spin.

1.How often would you lube the chain?

2. How often would you clean the bike?

3. What tools/part/accessories are must have?

4. I hear all this talk about Strava, Watts, Segments, cadence etc can you explain it?

5. Can you recommend a bike computer?

6. Any tips for newbies getting into road cycling?

Thanks

GeneralC

Is there anyone on here who can bike maintenance lessons to a beginner?

I bought a lovely bike and I don't have the money to be brinfing to my local bike shop every time for basic maintenance work

magicbastarder

1. i do it maybe once a week i'd say, depends on whether you've been cycling in wet or mucky conditions too. you can often hear it becoming 'chatty' if it starts to dry.
2. when it's dirty!
3. for out on the road - spare tubes, tyre levers, multitool, and a means of inflating. i have a mini-pump, some people prefer CO2 cartridges.
4. unless you're training for a race, don't worry about watts. download strava to your smartphone and use that for a while to track your cycles and figure out if you want a cycle computer. segments are a concept in strava where someone 'marks out' a section of road - could be any length - so when you cycle that segment, your time along it is recorded and can be compared against a public leaderboard. you can set up private ones as well if you just want to track your own progress.
cadence is simply how fast you pedal; especially starting out, you're probably better off picking an easier gear and pedalling faster for the same speed. it creates less strain on your knees, plus can help from tiring out too quickly.

GCN have quite a few videos with tips on getting the best out of your bike/cycle.
for example - one on washing your bike quickly:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvzVRxlIUL0

GeneralC

magicbastarder wrote: »

1. i do it maybe once a week i'd say, depends on whether you've been cycling in wet or mucky conditions too. you can often hear it becoming 'chatty' if it starts to dry.
2. when it's dirty!
3. for out on the road - spare tubes, tyre levers, multitool, and a means of inflating. i have a mini-pump, some people prefer CO2 cartridges.
4. unless you're training for a race, don't worry about watts. download strava to your smartphone and use that for a while to track your cycles and figure out if you want a cycle computer. segments are a concept in strava where someone 'marks out' a section of road - could be any length - so when you cycle that segment, your time along it is recorded and can be compared against a public leaderboard. you can set up private ones as well if you just want to track your own progress.
cadence is simply how fast you pedal; especially starting out, you're probably better off picking an easier gear and pedalling faster for the same speed. it creates less strain on your knees, plus can help from tiring out too quickly.

GCN have quite a few videos with tips on getting the best out of your bike/cycle.
for example - one on washing your bike quickly:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvzVRxlIUL0

Thank very much

Can I ask about gearing and when to change? So, I have two big rings and a 11 speed cassette. That’s 22 speed. When should I should I use the inner ring and when should I use the outer ring?

saccades

brianomc wrote: »

A friend of mine bought a secondhand mountain bike with UST wheels and tubeless tyres. He wants to go with tubes instead, the bike will never be used on trails or anything, just roads/cycleways.

Has anyone any experience with this? Is it as easy as just sticking a tube and a clincher tyre on and away he goes? It's a 26" Mavic xm819 rim.

819's are a lovely rim, they can be used with a tube as you describe.

As proper UST rims you can fit proper UST tyres and not have to worry about the gloop.

Only once have I fitted a tube with a 819 to get me home once.

saccades

GeneralC wrote: »

Thank very much

Can I ask about gearing and when to change? So, I have two big rings and a 11 speed cassette. That’s 22 speed. When should I should I use the inner ring and when should I use the outer ring?

It's less of an issue now with 2 rings at the front but try not to "cross chain" too much. The chain diagonal from front to back.

Apart from that, show some mechanical sympathy by changing gear way before you are about to stall, gear changes should be really quick. So keep an eye on the road ahead, make sure you cannot hear the chain rubbing with the combo you have picked.

mirrormatrix

GeneralC wrote: »

Is there anyone on here who can bike maintenance lessons to a beginner?

I bought a lovely bike and I don't have the money to be brinfing to my local bike shop every time for basic maintenance work

Try Rothar. They used to do a course for 40 or 50 quid that covers all the basics.

magicbastarder

occasionally the rediscovery centre in ballymun runs them too, but i think they're fairly basic.

magicbastarder

i changed my back wheel last week - i made the huge upgrade from an aksium disc wheel to an aksium disc wheel; and the new one is much quieter while freewheeling. was wondering how much of that would be the design changes in the approx. three years between the wheel ages, and whether fresher grease in the new wheel could be damping the noise more?

LollipopJimmy

The Mavic hubs tend to need a good bit of cleaning, I take the freehub apart every couple of months and clean it down and relube. Best thing for lube in the freehub is gearbox oil. The difference is always noticeable

Flaccus

Not a MTB but a brand new CaadX....wheels are 28 spoke and as 100KG+ I do expect spokes to loose a bit as they bed in. Bike shop agrees and says it ok and have noticed some spoke flex on each hub. But also noticed only after maybe 30km, slight kink on a spoke on the rear near the nipple and a worse one on the front.  See attachment which shows front spoke.  It's not loose or anything and wheel it true.  Shop says they can straighten it or should I just get it replaced.  Obviously a wheel with a higher spoke count is the long term answer.

CramCycle

Flaccus wrote: »

Not a MTB but

Not an answer to your question but this part, it took me awhile to realise that MB refers to magicbastarder rather than mountain bike (I hope or else, your right, as I always thought from the very beginning).

In regards to the actual question, straighten it will work but it will already be weakened, which will actually get worse. Replace as soon as you can but overall a stronger rim will serve you better than a higher rim count IMO

Zen0

I can't say I'm that impressed with the wheels Cannondale put on the CAADX. I managed to break several spokes in my back wheel about a year after purchase. I'm not that heavy (65Kg), although I do commute with it with a pannier on the back and tend to be quite hard on it. Still, a well made wheel shouldn't be breaking spokes that easily. I eventually found replacement spokes of the right length and replaced the broken ones. I also tightened up a number of loose spokes, which doesn't speak well of the original construction. Has been holding up this past year. The spokes were a slightly narrower gauge, but it doesn't seem to have made a differenced (I'm no expert in wheel building, so I'm open to correction on the wisdom of mixing spoke gauges).

I'm not sure I buy the heavier rim thing. A wheel is an engineered whole; what makes the wheel strong is the quality of the build with reasonable components. Sure, you could put a huge heavy rim on it and it might be a bit stronger, but not if it's not built right and it would feel like riding a farm gate. Measure the spokes and try replacing the broken one, and tighten up the rest taking care not to untrue the wheel. If that fails, Mavic Aksium discs are not bad replacements.

Flaccus

Zen0 wrote: »

I can't say I'm that impressed with the wheels Cannondale put on the CAADX.

Thanks for the info. The shop guy speaking from experience reckoned the spokes getting a little loose around the hub is them settling in and is ideal for a heavier rider (100KG plus) as a spoke perfectly tightened would tend to snap. You can actually move them slightly near the hub though solid at the nipple. He reckoned this was a good thing. While a spoke that adapts to your weight and a is a bit flexible sounds fine but I would be concerned about wheel going of true. He maintained the down force from my significant weight would prevent that and just check the wheel every now and again. He had some documentation to back this up as well incidentally.

Anyway I'm back in 2 weeks for a tuneup and the mechanic will either straighten the 2 spokes or replace them. The solution might be 2 new wheels with perhaps a 36 spoke count, that can take a 37mm tire and support disc brakes, with new hubs. Rear one needs to support a 34t cassette. What's the story with CRC's shimano custom wheel builder ? Anyone tried it ?

Mikenesson

Can you adjust the limit screws on a tiagra RD so the derailleur moves between cogs 2-7 on an 8 speed?

I'm changing to 1 chainring on the front,it's an old bike,thanks

Type 17

Mikenesson wrote: »

Can you adjust the limit screws on a tiagra RD so the derailleur moves between cogs 2-7 on an 8 speed?

I'm changing to 1 chainring on the front,it's an old bike,thanks

I'd be surprised if you couldn't lose just one cog at each end. More than that is doubtful though.

magicbastarder

Mikenesson wrote: »

Can you adjust the limit screws on a tiagra RD so the derailleur moves between cogs 2-7 on an 8 speed?

I'm changing to 1 chainring on the front,it's an old bike,thanks

you know about the role of the front derailleur in helping keep the chain on? are you also changing the spider (or whatever it's called) on the front, i.e. placing the new chainring in the centre of where the two old ones would have been?

Mikenesson

magicbastarder wrote: »

you know about the role of the front derailleur in helping keep the chain on? are you also changing the spider (or whatever it's called) on the front, i.e. placing the new chainring in the centre of where the two old ones would have been?

Hi
I adjusted the limits to stop at 2 and 7 on the back as i don't use them anyway

I still have the FD on at the moment and have fitted a shinamo triple chainring I got cheap on CRC,i also adjusted the FD to stop shifting to the large ring which i don't use either.

I've got new jockey wheels on the way ,so I'll see how it works out.

Type 17

magicbastarder wrote: »

you know about the role of the front derailleur in helping keep the chain on? are you also changing the spider (or whatever it's called) on the front, i.e. placing the new chainring in the centre of where the two old ones would have been?

This is a good point - my city hack (single front & 7-speed rear) has a front derailleur with no cable, held in the correct position by the lower limit screw, because the chain would fall off the front ring whenever the bike hit a bump whilst I was changing gear (happened every few days, on average).

I also changed the BB axle length and moved the (44t, originally inner) chainring to the outside of the spider, to place the front ring in between my favourite two sprockets (4 & 5 of the 7).

Mikenesson

Type 17 wrote: »

This is a good point - my city hack (single front & 7-speed rear) has a front derailleur with no cable, held in the correct position by the lower limit screw, because the chain would fall off the front ring whenever the bike hit a bump whilst I was changing gear (happened every few days, on average).

I also changed the BB axle length and moved the (44t, originally inner) chainring to the outside of the spider, to place the front ring in between my favourite two sprockets (4 & 5 of the 7).

Does the chain not rub off the fixed FD in the highest and lowest gears?

I have to adjust mine slightly when going from high to low

magicbastarder

sorry, i might not have been clear - what i was referring to was cross-chaining. as in, if you have decided to 'lock' the bike into the small chainring, there's nothing to gain by removing access to the largest cog on the cassette.
the concern is that if - for example - you shift to the large chainring, and the largest cog on the cassette, you're causing extra wear in asking the chain to cross from the extreme right at the front to the extreme left on the back, it'll wear your chain out more quickly.
if you're removed the ability to shift to the large chainring, there's nothing to be gained by removing access to the largest ring on the cassette. not sure if i'm explaining this well...

Type 17

It would do, but I re-shaped the cage with a pliers at the appropriate point. I rarely use the last (highest) sprocket anyway, but the rubbing was a bit annoying for the occasional times I was drafting busses descending steep hills.

Mikenesson

magicbastarder wrote: »

sorry, i might not have been clear - what i was referring to was cross-chaining. as in, if you have decided to 'lock' the bike into the small chainring, there's nothing to gain by removing access to the largest cog on the cassette.
the concern is that if - for example - you shift to the large chainring, and the largest cog on the cassette, you're causing extra wear in asking the chain to cross from the extreme right at the front to the extreme left on the back, it'll wear your chain out more quickly.
if you're removed the ability to shift to the large chainring, there's nothing to be gained by removing access to the largest ring on the cassette. not sure if i'm explaining this well...

I don't quite understand

I closed off 1 and 8 as i don't use them and to prevent chain falling off and angling.

Front chainring is roughly centred on rear cassette

I'm only guessing myself atm.
I'm not sure what to do with the FD .I presume I'll have to leave on in some form to prevent the chain flying off?

Mikenesson

Type 17 wrote: »

It would do, but I re-shaped the cage with a pliers at the appropriate point. I rarely use the last (highest) sprocket anyway, but the rubbing was a bit annoying for the occasional times I was drafting busses descending steep hills.

So you have the FD fixed and bent to allow chain move freely across all the gears.

Is it sufficient then to stop the chain jumping off the front chainring?

I'm thinking I will copy what you've done if that's the case?

Type 17

Yes, works perfectly.
I set it to *just* not rub on the inside of the cage when in the lowest/biggest sprocket, and then shifted to the smallest sprocket, and levered the outer part of the cage about 1-2 mm to cure the rubbing. I had to be careful not to go too far, or the crank arm would have hit the bent cage (old-school road bike cranks with narrow Q-factor). You can decide to raise or lower the FD on the tube to get the best guidance with the minimum rubbing/bending requirement - the usual rule about FD cage-height doesn't apply if it's not doing any shifting.

magicbastarder

CramCycle wrote: »

Not an answer to your question but this part, it took me awhile to realise that MB refers to magicbastarder rather than mountain bike (I hope or else, your right, as I always thought from the very beginning).

actually, it's short for 'megabytes of no such thing as a stupid question'. aspirational, i know, but achievable.