Bike tuning resource thread.

[gonzo]

less is better, nothing more jong-like than a really wet with lube drive train all clotted with dirt & dust.....

yeah i have a sweet one of those right now. i used this park tool syn-lube on the cassette and pedros on the chain, but i think i should have wiped the chain down a bit before i put it on. my spokes have lube on them...

[Gaffney10]

My Front Derailleur tends to rub my chain at the chain guide. This often occurs when I am on the second chainring and also in other gears. This is not a +- screw problem as it is not throwing the chain off in either extreme. Is the solution to this to tighten the cable using the Front Shifter cable?

When adjusting the front derailleur using the cable adjusting unit on the handlebars, at the end of the shifters (where the cable and shifter comes together), does it change the FD positioning? If so, do I just keep turning the screw until adjusted properly?

Thanks!!

[Bunion 2020]

Your on the right track....

Put your rear cogs in the biggest (lowest) gear and with your front derallier put it in the smallest chain ring. You should have a bit of slack in the shifter cable. Adjust that amount of slack so that you get the derallier to shift to the middle ring every time while maintaining as much slack as possible while in the little ring. This should allow for the front derallier to be properly indexed for most gears.
Never... Never run your chain on the big chain ring and big cog, try not to run your chain on the small chain ring and small cog, both of these configurations are hard on the drive train and will produce chain noise, slight variations may also produce some chain noise.

I will run my big ring up to within 4 cogs of my largest, and my small ring to within 3 cogs of my smallest. Many gear ratios in a 9 spd drivetrain are the same but can be achieved by using different combos of ring and cog. For example, Your small chain ring and big cog are about the same as your middle chain ring and the # 3 or 4 cog....

[Gaffney10]

I have a question regarding my rear wheel:
I recently noticed some play in my rear wheel (going from side to side).
So, tonight I propped it up, seat and handlebars on the ground and wheels up.
If I pedal, I notice a little movement from side to side.
I do not think it is a bent rim, because when (with the tires up, seat down on ground) I move the wheel left to right while locked in, it moves a little bit. Is there some bolt or something that I can tighten on the wheelset or?
I would appreciate some advice, thanks!!

[funkendrenchman]

I have a question regarding my rear wheel:
I recently noticed some play in my rear wheel (going from side to side).
So, tonight I propped it up, seat and handlebars on the ground and wheels up.
If I pedal, I notice a little movement from side to side.
I do not think it is a bent rim, because when (with the tires up, seat down on ground) I move the wheel left to right while locked in, it moves a little bit. Is there some bolt or something that I can tighten on the wheelset or?
I would appreciate some advice, thanks!!

Your wheel is most likely out of true, meaning the spokes are unevenly tightened. There are tools you can buy to fix this yourself, but getting it done in a shop only costs about 15 bucks.

Other than that, maybe you could tighten the skewer that holds the wheel. I would also take the wheel off the bike and reset it in the dropouts. It may be resting in the dropouts unevenly.

You can tell if the rim is bent by putting your finger very close to it and spinnning the wheel. If it hits your finger for part of its revolution the wheel could be bent.

[KarlHungus]

Lots of good stuff here w/ pretty good pics too...
http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/fix/

[Gaffney10]

It may be out of true but it doesn't "wobble" really badly. It moves back and forth if I press or pull while the bike is sitting upside down...

Thanks for the great links!!

[Vinman]

loose bearing. Might need an adjustment if it is the sealed or need to be repacked if not.

[Plakespear]

also, it looks like my hubs require some sort of special tool for disassembly - looks like it might be something like a pedal wrench but skinnier? anyone?

To adjust your hubs, you need cone wrenches. These basically really skinny metric open ended wrenches. Actually, adjusting your hubs is pretty easy one you learn how to do it. (of course I'm a shop mechanic, so it's routine for me these days)

[roscoe]

Or with disc bakes use alcohol on the rotors with a clean paper towel, not a greazy rag. If you think your brake pads got contaminated take em out, put just enough alcohol on the surface to cover them and light them on fire, this theoretically will burn out flammable contaminants(You can usually see stuff bubble out). I usually burn a couple times, sand them, burn them again, sand again and put them back in. They might squeal for a few brakings but then they will be good. If they still don't work, you gotta buy new ones. I'm a wrench at a shop, I do this alot and it usually does work well....plus you get to play with fire. Just make sure your doing it on a non-flammable surface.

As for cleaning your bike, I swear by White Lightning Clean Streak to clean dirty greazy parts and Pedros Bike Lust for verything else.

that is the dumbist thing to do just by new ones if they are that bad that u need to light them on fire just us sand paper

[gonzo]

How/how much should I be lubing my chain? I obviously did it wrong, because three rides later I am still getting lube sprayed all the way out to my rim...not good.

[cj001f]

How/how much should I be lubing my chain? I obviously did it wrong, because three rides later I am still getting lube sprayed all the way out to my rim...not good.

I bought a kit that included chain cleaner, degreaser, lube, and a chain luber(small port for lube, lots of bristles). Worked better than when I did it by hand.

For weekly or bimonthly maintenance, a tool kit like this Is a cheap, and mostly complete tool kit. Buy a cable cutter & 4th hand while at it.

To true wheels you need a truing stand (Minoura Workman is decent and $50), a spoke wrench, and some patience. Gets much easier the more you do it. Add a dishing gauge and you can build your own wheels. First wheels I built weren't so hot, 2nd are nice.

[Bunion 2020]

The original Big Tool Kit was such a value we decided to make it even better! The Big Tool Kit 2 features a new look, new tools, and new materials. We’ve added a 2nd driver set, and an improved chain tool. The Bottom Bracket tool and Freewheel remover have both been upgraded to Cro-Moly! Other tools include:

BB Tool;
O.K. if you must fuck with your BB, I could see maybe having this tool, Upper end BBs are well sealed so they don't really need much attention.

Free-wheel remover
I bought a Hyper-Cracker a bunch of years ago, still works great for FW removal. Was pretty cheap. Dunno about now.

1 chain whip,
Don"t need it... Free wheels cogs aren't held in place by a threaded fastener any more....When you spin off the lock ring, the whole stack is free.

2 headset spanner wrenches...
Don't Need them... Ahead set type head sets only need a couple of allen wrenches to adjust...

1 multi-size spoke wrench,
P.O.S..... buy the little Harp shaped Spoke Wrenches, Red, Green, Black, they work way better....

2 cone wrenches
Ya really need 4, 2 sets of each.

2 straight screwdrivers, 2 phillips head screwdrivers,
Buy these at local Hardware store....Cheap!

1 crank arm remover,
Again, With new style Shimano cranks,an Allen wrench is all that is required....

1 set of hex wrenches,
This may be O.K. but my bike only has a couple of things that require a wrench, 8MM & 10 MM do it all....

1 set tire levers,
I never use tire levers, if you must, a Quik-stik works very well, I pull the handle off mine, cut them real short and then put the handle on, 3" long works great, never have pinched a tube putting a tire bead back on.

1 adjustable wrench,
Nice to have, 2.99 for a 6" Crescent Wrench at Target

1 adjustable lock ring spanner,
This is somewhat useful... first thing in the tool kit IMHO...

1 pedal wrench/crank arm bolt remover,
The Pedal Wrench is useful, most crank bolts on MTBs costing more than $ 500.00 new, use Allen Bolts. If your Cranks are held on with nuts rather than bolts, that is one cheesy crank & BB set. You will need a crank arm remover, I have a nice Park Crank remover that I would let go cheap...
and finally one patch kit.

I dunno, I hate pre-made up kits of any sort and this is the reason. Pick and chose your tools, you will have a smaller and more useful tool kit, and a couple of extra bucks left for a cool one after a ride.

As for a dishing tool, I have built a whole bunch of wheel sets without a dishing tool being used, I had one in the shop, I just didn't need to use it.
I do still own a cheap Park Truing stand (TS-6) and it works great.

[tibaher]

Gonz,
good thread!
First off, I am sure you know, a clean bike is a happy bike right?

What I did when I commuted on the bike was clean the chain and cassette with a 6X6 piece of old t-shirt about once a week. I don't have a stand, so I just flip the bike over, pedal it with my hand while holding onto the chain with the t-shirt piece. Let it run through all the gears, and use a second cloth piece if it's really dirty. Chain cleaning devices are useless IMO. They break, clog, gum up after just a few times. You'll be surprised how much gunk comes off without even any cleaner just using your t-shirt piece letting the chaim run through your fing fing's

I bought a chain w/ a quick release link to aid in soaking it after a week of wet city riding. After I cleaned the chain, I would always pull off the rear wheel and simply run the cloth back and forth through the cassette inbetween the rings, til it was clean. Put the wheel back on, lube chain w/ White Lightning/tri-flow/whatever (i even use household oil when I'm out of the WL.

Next step was to completely remove all excess lube, (so it doesn't end up on your legs) using another clean t-shirt piece and using the same method I described above from the chain and cassette. I also usually cleaned the front chain rings at the same time. I find that "country" dirt is much easier to remove than the city grime, and much less harmful should you choose not to remove it.

I actually was pretty neurotic about cleaning the bike while I commuted on it. It's amazing what a difference it makes just having you chain, cassette and front sprocket clean. Also, while upside down, (standard v-brakes) I would spin the wheels while holding down one of those little green scrubbies on the rim. It removes all the gunk, and then all you need to do is clean the pads.

[Plakespear]

BB Tool;
O.K. if you must fuck with your BB, I could see maybe having this tool, Upper end BBs are well sealed so they don't really need much attention .

Agreed.

Free-wheel remover
I bought a Hyper-Cracker a bunch of years ago, still works great for FW removal. Was pretty cheap. Dunno about now.

There are so many different freewheels out there, that it's pretty hard to get by with one. It probably comes with a Shimano one, which is good because it will also remove the lockring on Shimano cassetes.

1 chain whip,
Don"t need it... Free wheels cogs aren't held in place by a threaded fastener any more....When you spin off the lock ring, the whole stack is free.

You most certainly do need it in order to remove cassetes.

2 headset spanner wrenches...
Don't Need them... Ahead set type head sets only need a couple of allen wrenches to adjust...

Assuming you have a threadless headset...

1 multi-size spoke wrench,
P.O.S..... buy the little Harp shaped Spoke Wrenches, Red, Green, Black, they work way better....

Agreed

2 cone wrenches
Ya really need 4, 2 sets of each.

You actually need more than that- different hubs require different sizes.

2 straight screwdrivers, 2 phillips head screwdrivers,
Buy these at local Hardware store....Cheap!

Agreed.

1 crank arm remover,
Again, With new style Shimano cranks,an Allen wrench is all that is required....

Um, no it isn't. And What about if you have Campy cranks?

1 set of hex wrenches,
This may be O.K. but my bike only has a couple of things that require a wrench, 8MM & 10 MM do it all....

I've worked on plenty of bikes, including some I own, that require 9mm...

1 set tire levers,
I never use tire levers, if you must, a Quik-stik works very well, I pull the handle off mine, cut them real short and then put the handle on, 3" long works great, never have pinched a tube putting a tire bead back on.

I've had so many tires that are a bith to get off an on that one lever would never do it for me.

1 adjustable wrench,
Nice to have, 2.99 for a 6" Crescent Wrench at Target

Need at least a 12" to get off freewheels.

1 adjustable lock ring spanner,
This is somewhat useful... first thing in the tool kit IMHO...

1

pedal wrench/crank arm bolt remover,
The Pedal Wrench is useful, most crank bolts on MTBs costing more than $ 500.00 new, use Allen Bolts. If your Cranks are held on with nuts rather than bolts, that is one cheesy crank & BB set.

Or simply an older bike.

I dunno, I hate pre-made up kits of any sort and this is the reason. Pick and chose your tools, you will have a smaller and more useful tool kit, and a couple of extra bucks left for a cool one after a ride.

Actually, I doubt you would be abe to buy all of those tools, or even just the ones you would need, for $40. That kit's a pretty good deal, and you can do most of your repairs with it. When you consider that a really good multi-tool costs 25-30 bucks, and doesn't work nearly as well as any of the tools in the kit, the kit's a good buy. You'll still need to augment it, but it's a hell of a start.

[Bunion 2020]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bunion

BB Tool;
O.K. if you must fuck with your BB, I could see maybe having this tool, Upper end BBs are well sealed so they don't really need much attention .


Agreed.


Quote:
Free-wheel remover
I bought a Hyper-Cracker a bunch of years ago, still works great for FW removal. Was pretty cheap. Dunno about now.


There are so many different freewheels out there, that it's pretty hard to get by with one. It probably comes with a Shimano one, which is good because it will also remove the lockring on Shimano cassetes.


Quote:
1 chain whip,
Don"t need it... Free wheels cogs aren't held in place by a threaded fastener any more....When you spin off the lock ring, the whole stack is free.


You most certainly do need it in order to remove cassetes.

Sorry Plakespear, incorrect answer, Cassettes are held in place by an allen bolt, 12mm i believe, you must remove the axle and cones to access this bolt. Chain whips are to take apart older threaded on style free wheels. You need 2 of them to unscrew the smallest cog and then the stack comes apart. No big deal anyway...


Quote:
2 headset spanner wrenches...
Don't Need them... Ahead set type head sets only need a couple of allen wrenches to adjust...


Assuming you have a threadless headset...


Quote:
1 multi-size spoke wrench,
P.O.S..... buy the little Harp shaped Spoke Wrenches, Red, Green, Black, they work way better....


Agreed


Quote:
2 cone wrenches
Ya really need 4, 2 sets of each.


You actually need more than that- different hubs require different sizes.

13,14,15,16mm are all that is needed, but 2 of what ever size your cones take.

Quote:
2 straight screwdrivers, 2 phillips head screwdrivers,
Buy these at local Hardware store....Cheap!


Agreed.


Quote:
1 crank arm remover,
Again, With new style Shimano cranks,an Allen wrench is all that is required....


Um, no it isn't. And What about if you have Campy cranks?

Sugino used to make a cool thing called an Autex system, the same as the Shimano type of allen fixing bolt. Put those on your Campy cranks and ta da!!!! no need for a crank puller... ever again!

Quote:
1 set of hex wrenches,
This may be O.K. but my bike only has a couple of things that require a wrench, 8MM & 10 MM do it all....


I've worked on plenty of bikes, including some I own, that require 9mm...

First thing I do with a new bike is change the fastener heads so that they are all the same and take as few of different size wrenches as possible, hence only the need for 8mm & 10 mm on my current ride.

Quote:
1 set tire levers,
I never use tire levers, if you must, a Quik-stik works very well, I pull the handle off mine, cut them real short and then put the handle on, 3" long works great, never have pinched a tube putting a tire bead back on.


I've had so many tires that are a bith to get off an on that one lever would never do it for me.

Look into a quik-stik, one is all you will ever need, seriously.


Quote:
1 adjustable wrench,
Nice to have, 2.99 for a 6" Crescent Wrench at Target


Need at least a 12" to get off freewheels.

Bench vice and free wheel tool, or a Hyper-cracker.


Quote:
1 adjustable lock ring spanner,
This is somewhat useful... first thing in the tool kit IMHO...




1
Quote:
pedal wrench/crank arm bolt remover,
The Pedal Wrench is useful, most crank bolts on MTBs costing more than $ 500.00 new, use Allen Bolts. If your Cranks are held on with nuts rather than bolts, that is one cheesy crank & BB set.


Or simply an older bike.

Quote:
I dunno, I hate pre-made up kits of any sort and this is the reason. Pick and chose your tools, you will have a smaller and more useful tool kit, and a couple of extra bucks left for a cool one after a ride.




Actually, I doubt you would be abe to buy all of those tools, or even just the ones you would need, for $40. That kit's a pretty good deal, and you can do most of your repairs with it. When you consider that a really good multi-tool costs 25-30 bucks, and doesn't work nearly as well as any of the tools in the kit, the kit's a good buy. You'll still need to augment it, but it's a hell of a start.


[I]You are certainly entitled to your opinion, just seems like a lot of extra crap you will never use if you are buying a simple tool kit to tune your own bike but what the hell...[/I]


_______

___________
"There is a hell of a huge difference between skiing as a sport- or even as a lifestyle- and skiing as an industry"
Hunter S. Thompson, 1970 (RIP)

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[cj001f]

[I]You are certainly entitled to your opinion, just seems like a lot of extra crap you will never use if you are buying a simple tool kit to tune your own bike but what the hell...[/I]
I've built up 2 bikes with that toolkit. No, it's not the latest greatest, nor is it for the bike geek They are durable useful tools for $40. You'll spend more on gas & shipping from the half dozen stores you need to get all the better parts - and if you are a JONG, you'll spend more returing or eating the tools you bought but are wrong.

As for the cone wrenches the set comes with 2, Double Ended, Double Sided cone wrenches that cover all 4 sizes - 13,14,15,16mm.

[Bunion 2020]

As for the cone wrenches the set comes with 2, Double Ended, Double Sided cone wrenches that cover all 4 sizes - 13,14,15,16mm.

Sigh.... to do a proper job of adjusting your cones, you need.... 2 12mm if that is the size your cones take.... 2 13mm if that is the size wrench your conse take.... o.k.?

Anyway... just my thoughts on pre-made kits.... O.K.?

Now for a QUESTION.... My Zokes marathon sl claims 105mm travel, is that the absolute most travel I can expect? of is the real amount of travel somewhat less than 105mm???

[cj001f]

Sigh.... to do a proper job of adjusting your cones, you need.... 2 12mm if that is the size your cones take.... 2 13mm if that is the size wrench your conse take.... o.k.?

Thanks. 2 wrenches. 4 sizes per wrench. You have 2 13mm, 2 14mm, 2 15mm, 2 16mm. Why don't you actually look at the tool kit?

[AfroMullet]

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/hub.html

sheldon brown is a genius
There is enough info there to build an entire bike without even looking at other sources.

[flowtron]

that is the dumbist thing to do just by new ones if they are that bad that u need to light them on fire just us sand paper

I'm grudgingly dignifying this with a response. I've done this probably 50 times, with my pads as well as customers', and its done the trick probably about 40 times. 99cent bottle of alcohol will last you all season, or you can keep buying $25 brake pads to replace sets with a few months of life left. Explaining to customers why their new-ish pads squeal and don't work any more gets old. Plus, playing with fire is fun.

Also, if you're going to try and heckle someone on the interweb for doing the "dumbist" thing, you gotta spell stuff right and use some puctuation, lest you look dumb yourself.

[Bunion 2020]

Thanks. 2 wrenches. 4 sizes per wrench. You have 2 13mm, 2 14mm, 2 15mm, 2 16mm. Why don't you actually look at the tool kit?

Look, this is not a big deal, but!!!!!

You need 2 of any size to adjust cones... OK??????


The fantistic fucking kit comes with 1 set of wrenches, 2 wrenches... that have 1-12mm, 1-13mm, 1-14mm & 1-15mm.... Now do you get it?????

Right back at ya......

The original Big Tool Kit was such a value we decided to make it even better! The Big Tool Kit 2 features a new look, new tools, and new materials. We’ve added a 2nd driver set, and an improved chain tool. The Bottom Bracket tool and Freewheel remover have both been upgraded to Cro-Moly! Other tools include: 1 chain whip, 2 headset spanner wrenches, 1 multi-size spoke wrench, 2 cone wrenches, 2 straight screwdrivers, 2 phillips head screwdrivers, 1 crank arm remover, 1 set of hex wrenches, 1 set tire levers, 1 adjustable wrench, 1 adjustable lock ring spanner, 1 pedal wrench/crank arm bolt remover, and finally one patch kit.

[gonzo]

good lord. can you guys start a different thread about prefix tool kits if you are going to debate this hard?

so i got lube on my rim, and now on my brake pads (non-disk pads). i guess i will use windex to clean em?

[cj001f]

Sheldonbrown.com rocks. Learned to build wheels, as well as a whole bunch of other info from his site. The Leonard Zinn bike books - Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance, and Zinn and the art of Mountain Bike Maintenance are excellent print resources as well.

Bunion. Each end of the wrench fits 2 sizes of cones - paralell, neck down and paralell for the 2 sizes per end. 4 sizes per wrench.

[gonzo]

what about driving far with bikes on the roof? anything that should be done before or after? driving from chicago to san fran in a few days with both bikes up there. don't really want to get those bra cover thingies, but i guess they are probably a good idea...