Bike Maintenance Tips, Tricks & Techniques

258 Pages·2014·18.672 MB·English

by  Adron Asadi

Learn to fix & look after your bike
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repair made easy NSP
(cid:22) Roadside repairs
-
(cid:22) Perfect set ups
-
(cid:22) In depth maintenance
procedures
(cid:22) Tweak, tune and fix
your brakes, gears,
suspension & more

Welcome to
For all cyclists, ensuring your bike is in good working order is imperative.
Whether you just pop down to the shops once a week or cycle miles every
day, it’s important to make sure you’re safe and you know what to do if
something on your bike goes wrong. There’s nothing worse than getting a
puncture at the furthest point from home, but just a few simple tools and a
couple tips will help you get back on the saddle in no time. If you’re looking
to use your bike regularly, you’ll want to learn how to look after it, so you
get the most out of the experience and improve its longevity; there’s no
point spending a large amount of money on a brand-new bike and then not
knowing how to care for it or fix little problems. In this book we’ll take you
through everything you need to know to tailor your bike to your needs, and
save a fortune when things do go wrong. With the right equipment and a little
bit of know-how, you’ll discover how to get the best out of your bike.

Imagine Publishing Ltd
Richmond House
33 Richmond Hill
Bournemouth
Dorset BH2 6EZ
(cid:8) [phone]
Website: www.imagine-publishing.co.uk
Twitter: @Books_Imagine
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ImagineBookazines
Head of Publishing
Aaron Asadi
Head of Design
Ross Andrews
Editor
Jon White
Senior Art Editor
Greg Whitaker
Printed by
William Gibbons, 26 Planetary Road, Willenhall, West Midlands, WV13 3XT
Distributed in the UK & Eire by
Imagine Publishing Ltd, www.imagineshop.co.uk. Tel [phone]
Distributed in Australia by
Gordon & Gotch, Equinox Centre, 18 Rodborough Road, Frenchs Forest,
NSW 2086. Tel + 61 2 9972 8800
Distributed in the Rest of the World by
Marketforce, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London, SE1 0SU.
Disclaimer
The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicited material lost or damaged in the
post. All text and layout is the copyright of Imagine Publishing Ltd. Nothing in this bookazine may
be reproduced in whole or part without the written permission of the publisher. All copyrights are
recognised and used specifically for the purpose of criticism and review. Although the bookazine has
endeavoured to ensure all information is correct at time of print, prices and availability may change.
This bookazine is fully independent and not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein.
This bookazine is published under licence from Carlton Publishing Group Limited.
All rights in the licensed material belong to Carlton Publishing Limited and it may
not be reproduced, whether in whole or in part, without the prior written consent
of Carlton Publishing Limited. © 2014 Carlton Publishing Limited.
Bike Maintenance Tips, Tricks & Techniques © 2014 Imagine Publishing Ltd
ISBN 978-1909 758 834
Contents
Essential guides to help you maintain your bike
“
If any of the checks
show a problem with your
braking system, you can
”
sort it out straight away
Page 52
6 BIKE MAINTENANCE TIPS, TRICKS & TECHNIQUES
“
If you can pull the chain
CONTENTS
off enough to see all or TIPS | TRICKS | TECHNIQUES
most of the tooth, you
”
need a new cassette
Page 105
8 Basic tools and repairs
Tools and equipment
Fixing punctures
Fixing chains
Transmission and gear cable failures
Safety checks
48 Brakes
Setting up V-, cantilever and calliper brakes
Changing cables and brake blocks
Installing and adjusting disc brakes
Changing disc brake pads
Bleeding hydraulic brakes
96 Transmission
“
Dirt or grit on Installing chains and cassettes
Installing and adjusting derailleurs
the pedal threads Fitting new gear cables
Replacing chainrings
will also cause Singlespeed riding
Maintaining hub gears
creaking, so clean
154 Wheels
the threads on the Servicing cup-and-cone hubs
Truing wheels
pedal and inside Inserting new spokes
Building wheels
”
the crank
186 Suspension
The language of suspension
Page 217
Setting up and servicing front forks
Setting up and servicing rear suspension
212 Bottom brackets and headsets
Checking bottom brackets
Installing new bottom brackets
Adjusting headsets
Servicing headsets
238 Components
Installing handlebars and stems
Installing and servicing seatposts
Servicing pedals
Fitting accessories
252 Glossary
BIKE MAINTENANCE TIPS, TRICKS & TECHNIQUES 7
Basic tools and repairs
One great thing about modern bicycles is that a large proportion of the fitting,
adjusting and replacing of components can be done with a fairly small selection
of tools. You don’t need to spend a fortune to go a long way towards being self-
sufficient. The ability to carry out basic repairs will also go a long way towards
the same aim. This chapter takes you through some of the more common tools,
explaining what they’re for, when you need them and what the basic repairs you
should get to know are.
8 BIKE MAINTENANCE TIPS, TRICKS & TECHNIQUES
BASIC TOOLS AND REPAIRS
TIPS | TRICKS | TECHNIQUES
BIKE MAINTENANCE TIPS, TRICKS & TECHNIQUES 9
BASIC TOOLS AND REPAIRS
TIPS | TRICKS | TECHNIQUES
The language of bicycle parts
People who talk about bikes can sometimes sound like they’re speaking a
language all of their own. Some of the words they keep using are completely
unfathomable and bizarre, and some sound familiar but often mean something
completely different than expected. The language of bikes isn’t just a way of
keeping in the clique though – it’s vital to be able to identify specific parts.
Disc brake callipers: (aka disc brake units) Cassette and freehub: Your cassette consists of
These are bolted to mounts on your frame and a set of different-sized sprockets bolted together.
fork. Pulling the brake lever at the handlebar Currently nine-speed cassettes are most common
clamps the disc rotor between thin, metal- and combine with the three chainrings on your
backed brake pads. Powerful and resilient, chainset to give you 27 gears. Smaller cassette
they can seem daunting to service thanks to sprockets give you a higher (harder) gear for
the hydraulic system but they´re actually very maximum speed, and larger sprockets give you a
straightforward. Mechanical versions use cables lower (easier) gear for climbing hills. The cassette is
and V-brake levers rather than an oil-filled hose. fitted to a freehub on your rear wheel.
Rear derailleur: This moves the chain step by Chain: The chain connects your chainset to your
step across the cassette sprockets. Different- cassette, turning the rear wheel to provide drive
sized sprockets give you different gear ratios, when you pedal. It needs to be strong so it doesn´t
so that you can pedal at a constant rate over a snap when you stamp on the pedals but it also
range of different speeds. The movement of the needs to be flexible enough to shift from side to side
rear derailleur is controlled by a cable on the across the cassette sprockets and chainrings. Your
shifter on the right-hand side of the handlebar. chain´s width needs to match your cassette: for
Correct adjustment gives you slick shifting and example, nine-speed sprockets are narrower and
ensures maximum life for your chain, chainset more closely spaced than eight speed, so you need a
and cassette. narrower nine-speed chain.
Chainset: This consists of two or three Headset: The main bearing at the front of your bike,
chainrings bolted together. Like the cassette the headset connects your forks to your frame. This
sprockets, choosing a different-sized chainring part is often ignored because it’s mostly hidden
gives you a different gear ratio. Larger chainrings in the frame. This bearing must be adjusted so it
give you a higher gear that is harder to push turns smoothly without – any play or binding will
but propels you further on each pedal stroke. affect your bike’s handling. There are two types of
Smaller chainrings give you a lower gear, headset: the threadless, or Aheadset, which is found
allowing you to climb steep hills. Chainrings will on the vast majority of bikes, and the old-fashioned
wear out over time, the teeth being worn away threaded headset. Regular servicing of the bearings
or hooked until the chain starts to slip and suck keeps them running smoothly and last longer.
under pressure.
Bottom bracket: Bottom brackets are another ‘out
Cables and hoses: Connecting brake levers of sight, out of mind’ component. The bottom bracket
to callipers or V-brake units, these need to be axle connects your two cranks together through
kept in good condition to transmit an accurate the frame. If worn and loose, the bottom bracket
signal. Speed control, as well as raw braking can lead to front gear-shifting problems and cause
power, is vital. Steel cables run through lengths your chain to wear out. Worn bottom brackets can
of outer casing from brake levers to V-brakes. be spotted by checking for side to side play in your
Hoses are the stiff plastic tubes that transfer cranks. Usually supplied as a sealed unit, this part
hydraulic brake fluid from hydraulic brake levers must be replaced when worn or stiff. This repair
to callipers. needs a couple of specific but inexpensive tools.
10 BIKE MAINTENANCE TIPS, TRICKS & TECHNIQUES