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

magicbastarder

is there a simple list of chemicals which you should not get near disc brake pads? i.e. would even something like a detergent cause issues with contamination; i was wondering as i was cleaning the bike earlier if i can be overcautious in cleaning the bike near the brakes.

any tips on looking after a steel frame? my latest purchase has mountings for racks and also a couple of unthreaded holes - should i tape those up to keep water out, or leave them uncovered to let the water out should it get in?

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Type 17

mosstin wrote: »

I have a Cannondale Super Six Evo which came with a bog-standard Aksium disc brake wheelset. I'm new to disc brakes so I'm looking to upgrade the wheelset - are all disc brake wheelsets compatible with disc brake bikes?

You should confirm the axle type of the Aksium (I presume standard quick release with skewers, rather than through-axles), and also the width of the front & rear axles of them, and only look at new wheels with the same widths.

Axle widths are especially important with disc brakes - on bikes with rim brakes (and metal frames), you can get away with (but still shouldn't) putting wheels on with a few mm difference, but with disc brakes, if you stretch/compress the frame or fork even a few mm, the callipers will no longer be perpendicular to the axles, and you will get alignment problems (rubbing).

Type 17

rayman1 wrote: »

It depends. My 2013 Giant Defy has a metal insert that the bearing race corroded to but with my 2016 Cube Attain Race the bearing fits directly into carbon so no chance of getting stuck.

The Cube almost certainly has an aluminium reinforcement buried within the carbon - there's no way the bottom of a carbon head tube could take the loads/shocks without it (unless it was massive, to the point that it would add more weight than an alu reinforcement and ruin the aerodynamics/appearance)
Good design to bury it in the carbon fibre though, as the steel bearing shells react with the alu reinforcement in the presence of moisture, causing corrosion/jamming.

mosstin

I have a Cannondale Super Six Evo which came with a bog-standard Aksium disc brake wheelset. I'm new to disc brakes so I'm looking to upgrade the wheelset - are all disc brake wheelsets compatible with disc brake bikes?

rayman1

8valve wrote: »

There should be some form of metal insert built into the headtube that mates up perfectly with the new bearing when inserted into it?

It depends. My 2013 Giant Defy has a metal insert that the bearing race corroded to but with my 2016 Cube Attain Race the bearing fits directly into carbon so no chance of getting stuck.

CramCycle

Tony04 wrote: »

Any bike specific grease is designed for use with carbon of course you should grease it if you want to make it easier to take off the next time you replace it. Grease all the metal parts

Really? I was under the impression that many greases bikers might use are inappropriate with Carbon. Am I wrong?

8valve

There should be some form of metal insert built into the headtube that mates up perfectly with the new bearing when inserted into it?

devonp

ok, not sure if there is a metal recess/seat for the bearing or just bear carbon..?

rayman1

Same thing happened to me with a 5 year old Carbon Giant Defy. Bottom bearing fell apart on removal but the outer race was corroded into a metal socket.
Had to bring it into my LBS a Giant Dealer and they managed to remove it with great difficulty.
Lesson learned and now I remove and regrease it annually.

devonp

cheers...the more i look at it with a flashlight ...i think the race is still in there

Type 17

The first pic (IMG_1487) does appear to show that the outer race of the cartridge bearing remains in the frame, so it needs to be removed.

On an older, steel frame you could tap it out with a long screwdriver or similar, but it's harder on an aluminium or carbon frame (and a bit more dangerous on a carbon one) because the walls of the head-tube are thicker and block access in most cases.

Your LBS will have a tool like this for driving it out straight (it's driving it out crookedly that's the danger here - can lead to ovalisation on a metal frame, and to possible cracking on a carbon one).

If you have the facilities, you can make a tool like the one above by cutting and spreading the end of a piece of pipe (not copper plumbing pipe - too soft)

devonp

with the image ..

devonp

one last try maybe better image...

devonp

hopefully again

devonp

hopefully this uploads

Type 17

Pic of the lower seat of the frame required...

devonp

had to hammer the old btm bearing out and it broke.....inner race and balls and seals ...could the outer race still be stuck inside the head tube ?

the new bearing will go in but only about 2mm then it jams..

Type 17

Is the frame's seat clean? Even a bit of grit will jam everything up.

Likewise a small burr or ding will stop the bearing going in smoothly (but can be filed away carefully, if required)

Is the old bearing exactly the same diameter? Some headset bearings differ in size by only 0.1mm (Why, frame manufacturers, why?!) and even this small a difference is effectively the wrong size. Hold the outside of the old and new bearings between your fingers and see if they feel identical or a tiny bit different.

devonp

one last biggie question...

just came across a you tube video where a press tool was use to insert the bearings ???

top bearing seems fine to push in by hand but the btm bearing is very reluctant to get into the head tube

:(

LBS time ??

Type 17

devonp wrote: »

took a bit of work to get the bottom bearing out...

anyway i presume the chamfered inner race of the btm bearing should face down towards the wheel ? it slides onto the fork fine and rotates nicely

also i have 2 types of grease...
1. weldtite lithium grease whitish
2. RSP bearing buster grease more browny cremey colour

any preferences ?

Yes, chamfered side down on the bottom race, and chamfered side up on the top race.

Cartridge bearings like these are lubed inside already, so grease is only required to prevent corrosion (in the frame's bearing seat/on the outside of the cartridge bearing) from water ingress. In cases like this, it doesn't really matter which type of grease you use.

devonp

took a bit of work to get the bottom bearing out...

anyway i presume the chamfered inner race of the btm bearing should face down towards the wheel ? it slides onto the fork fine and rotates nicely

also i have 2 types of grease...
1. weldtite lithium grease whitish
2. RSP bearing buster grease more browny cremey colour

any preferences ?

Tony04

Any bike specific grease is designed for use with carbon of course you should grease it if you want to make it easier to take off the next time you replace it. Grease all the metal parts

devonp

yes... less gently did the job ...
its filthy up there... a lot of cleaning before the new one is fitted

should i grease the new bearings....read somewhere about avoiding gettting grease on the steerer tube ..can cause the carbon to swell..?

anyway i'll get to cleaning first...

Tony04

Try something like wd40 gt 85 or weldtite tf2 spray over degreaser.
Have you taken all the headset bits out like spacers etc.

A photo might help

Type 17

If you've removed the compression ring (the v-section ring with a split, that fits just above the top bearing) and all other possible impediments, then get an assistant to hold the frame while you hold a piece of scrap wood over the top of the fork steerer and hit it harder with your rubber mallet (the wood is to stop the sharp top of the fork steerer from damaging the mallet more than necessary - or you can use the wood with a regular metal hammer).

devonp

cletus wrote: »

You might need to be less gentle...

yes maybe... but its a carbon steerer :eek: so i want to be as gentle as possible

maybe i should squirt some degreaser down the head tube and up from the btm part as well... ??

cletus

devonp wrote: »

hi

in the process of replacing headset bearings ,Endurace 2013/14 model
its at Acros ai70 type

got bearings from https://www.airevelobearings.com/product-category/canyon-headset-bearings-spares/

its the original headset; have disconnected brake cable , removed all upper parts; push-in top cap (not a real top cap:o) stem /handle bars, spacers, the small T6 torx screw, the two plastic bits that fit together, compression ring

but the fork wont drop!! i can imagine theres 6 yrs of gunk holding it there

tried tapping the steerer tube gently with rubber mallet ... no luck

do i need to remove the top bearing for the fork to drop ??

or might the btm bearing be so fcuked its jammed ??

cheers

You might need to be less gentle...

devonp

hi

in the process of replacing headset bearings ,Endurace 2013/14 model
its at Acros ai70 type

got bearings from https://www.airevelobearings.com/product-category/canyon-headset-bearings-spares/

its the original headset; have disconnected brake cable , removed all upper parts; push-in top cap (not a real top cap:o) stem /handle bars, spacers, the small T6 torx screw, the two plastic bits that fit together, compression ring

but the fork wont drop!! i can imagine theres 6 yrs of gunk holding it there

tried tapping the steerer tube gently with rubber mallet ... no luck

do i need to remove the top bearing for the fork to drop ??

or might the btm bearing be so fcuked its jammed ??

cheers

magicbastarder

if the bike is not in danger of being knocked into, you can hang it from the saddle - i.e. put the nose over a bar or beam.

.red.

I've a small garden shed and will probably have the bike raised on a bracket for the winter when not in use. I'll have to remove the wheels as it won't fit otherwise.
I was wondering if I should get a dummy hub to fit when the wheels are off it?
If I should, is it worth spending the €20+ on the park tools one or will a €5 eBay one do?
Thanks.

woody33

seamus wrote: »

Doesn't necessarily need to be anything about going up and down bumps tbh. If you've been doing a lot of urban riding in high gears that can be enough to weaken the spokes on the drive side.

If you enjoy tinkering and fixing, then half-arsed fixes on a cheaper bike is definitely the way to go about it
You can't make it much worse anyway.

Cool, half-arsed fixes are my speciality. Sometimes I even go as far as three-quarter-arsed.