MBAs Top 25 Home Repair Tips
MBAs Top 25 Home Repair Tips
The mountain bike is now capable of carrying four inches of suspension travel, nine speed, titanium frames, carbon bars, and disc brakes. Most mountain bike owners are embarrassed by the thought of trying to fix a modern mountain bicycle with a wrench. Have no fear! They are not intimidating. Mountain bikes are easy to understand and can be understood by anyone. Learning the basics is key to repairing your bike. It is possible to fix it yourself. You just need to put on work clothes and follow MBA’s top 25 home-repair tips.
Tools of the trade: You can find affordable tools kits that include everything you need for basic home repairs. The CyclePro kit contains most of the tools needed to complete the services described in this article. A box of 50 Glove Boy gloves is available for those who don’t like getting their hands dirty. The latex-resistant, chemical-resistant gloves come in four sizes.
Brake adjustment I: Brake pad should not be worn below the reliefs’ bottoms. Slide the old pad out by removing the fixing pin. Insert the new pad with the arrow facing the front. Brake pads should contact the rim at least 1mm below the tire. Initialize the pad to contact the rim perfectly flat.
Brake adjustment II. Use the Phillips flat blade, Allen spring adjusters or the flat blade to place the pads evenly away from the rim flats. Scotchbrite pads can be placed between the brake pads and the rim to reduce squeal. To deglaze the brake surfaces of each rim, ride 15.2m. You may need to adjust the tension if the brakes continue to squeal even after the treatment.
Remove a tire. You can loosen the beads by pressing the tire together and working around the entire circumference. To hook beneath a bead, use a tire tool. Pull the bead up to the edge of your rim. Move six inches further and use a second tire tool to hook under the bead and pull it over the edge of the rim. To remove the tire and bead, slide the second tool away.
Brake adjustment III: Toeing brake pad means that the fronts contact the rim first, and the pads are less likely chatter or squeal. Conical securing hardware is now standard on most brakes. If your brakes don’t have this feature, you can remove the back of the pads with a knife. Alternatively, channel locks can be used to bend the caliper arm into the correct position.
How to set up new cables: Cable housings can collapse due to heavy use, and this will cause brake adjustment and derailleur malfunctions. Grab the exposed end of the inner derailleur cables and pull it away from the tube with a moderate force. You can adjust the brake cables by tightening your lever adjuster, pressing the lever five times, and then readjusting the lever play.
Adjustment I for front derailleur: Set the derailleur’s height so that the outer cage is between 1mm and 3mm above the big rings. With a loose cable, place the derailleur so that the cage is directly above your sprocket. The large chainring should be aligned with the flat, forward surface of the outer cage. Do not tighten the derailleur clamp.
Adjustment II for front derailleur: With the loose cable and the chain routing on the granny/big rear cog, turn low adjuster (L), so that the clearance between inner guide plate & chain is 0 – 0.5mm. Pull the inner cable tight and secure the clamp. Make sure to adjust the low setting and take out any excess cable play if necessary.
Third adjustment of the front derailleur: Move to the large ring and small cog. The high adjuster H can be used to set the outer guideplate at 0 to 0.25mm from the chain. Shift to middle ring and large rear gear. The SIS adjuster is turned so that the chain clearance between the inner guide plate and the chain clearance is 0 – 0.5mm. The cage is moved outward by turning the adjuster counterclockwise.
Adjustment I for the rear derailleur: Without tensioning the cable, position the rear derailleur against its stop using a hand. The upper guide pulley should be centered directly below the top and low cogs using the appropriate adjustment screws.
SIS adjustment: Shift from the small cog to second gear while pedaling. If the chain does not make the shift, you can turn the adjuster counterclockwise. If it shifts too far to the right, turn it inward until the shift is smooth. Now, turn the adjuster counterclockwise. Just before the chain is making noise against the third cog, stop turning. You can check shifting on the remaining cogs.
Reverse thinking: The spring action pulls the derailleur towards the larger cogs and rings on Sachs front derailleurs as well as rapid-rise Shimano XTR rear derailleurs. The cable adjuster works in the opposite way with either system. It turns the adjuster counterclockwise to center the derailleur towards smaller cogs or rings, and vice versa.
Installing a tire Place the tube inside the tire. Then insert the valve into the rim. Install the bead in the channel. The majority of the second bead can easily be installed manually. Use tire tools to adjust the last 25 cm. If necessary, remove air and don’t catch the tube between a tool or the rim.
Non-XTR owners should remove the crank bolts from the bottom bracket and use a puller (L) to remove the arms. Thread off the end cap and cartridge assembly using the bottom bracket spline tools. XTR allows you to remove the crank bolt and also pulls off the crank arm. The XTR system (right), uses a different TL-UN95 spline instrument. Ensure that you use anti-seize when reassembly is complete.
To remove the fork, pull the stem upwards and lift the front wheel from the ground. You can use a plastic mallet or a spoon to gently pound the steerer down about a quarter inch. The split wedge will lift up from the ground and slide off the front wheel. Reassemble the vehicle by cleaning and replacing any worn bearing cups and bearing races. Turn the top cap to tighten it. Turn the stem to center it and tighten.
Repairing a tube: A glue and patch kit can permanently repair small punctures. To locate small leakages, submerge the tube into a bucket of warm water. The tube should be dried before you use the provided scraper to lightly scratch it. If you are repairing a small tube, don’t scratch it. Instead, clean it with rubbing alcohol. Apply the patch by thinly spreading the glue. Wait for it to turn a duller color before you apply it.
How to replace cables I. With the ferrule in position, place the new cable’s end in the appropriate device. The housing should be held in place at the first stop. Adjust as needed to allow the bar to move through its full range. When determining the length of the housing, remember to account for rear suspension movement. Only use specific bicycle cable pliers to cut the housing.
How to replace cables II: Insert all lever and derailleur adjusters, and then turn one time. Use a suspension defriction grease to lightly coat the inner cable wire. The cable should be threaded through the device. Next, position the ferrules in their respective housing sections. Pull the cable taut and secure the clamp under the brakes or derailleurs cable clamp.
Reverse threads are important: In order to prevent the turning bearing balls and rollers from causing damage to the left pedal or right BB cup, it is necessary that you use reverse threads at the two power transfer pivots. It is important to remember that although the L on the left pedals spindle can be used to indicate left thread, it is the reverse thread that is located on the BB cup on opposite side of the bike.
You can easily correct minor rim imperfections. To center the twang, you can either key off the brake pad or place a pencil or pen against the frame. Turn the spokes away from the bend, and then loosen those pulling the rim out. Only turn the spoke nipple 1/4 turn. Keep working the problem area until it is gone.
How to remove old grips without damaging them: Use a thin screwdriver to gently pull the grip off. Be patient and don’t scratch the bar. Use water or solvent to moisten the opening and then use the screwdriver to adjust the bar’s diameter. Take the screwdriver out and remove the grip. Clean the bar with alcohol.
How to install new or repurposed grips: Spray painting can be used to attach grips to the bar. Spray enamel Krylon Clear quick drying enamel on the grip’s interior. Spray the bar lightly and slide the grip back.
In ten minutes, the grip will be secured. Some people have used hairspray and WD40 with great results. However, these two products won’t lock all the grip materials.
Chain connection: Shimanos’ break-off connector pin allows them to attach their chain using an OE-spec press fit. Push the connector pin’s pointed end as far as possible by hand. Use a chain tool to press the pin into place. You can remove the pin end exposed by using pliers. To connect the chain, press any other pin on the chain to make a weak link.
Part II of how to connect a chain: Some chains use a special press-in connector pin (L), while others use a slip-lock connector link. Connector pins are usually identified by coloration on the chain plate or partially inserted. They lock in place without removing excess material and weakening it. Both work well.
To determine the length of your chain, use the CyclePro tool to remove the pin from the old chain. The new chain should be wrapped around the big ring, the big cog and the derailleur pulley box. Mark the pin end that the chain can reach by pulling taut. To push the pin out, add two more links.
