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Basic Repair/Maintainance
Bike Tips - Basic Repair / Maintenance
All riders at one point will need to know how to fix their bike. Unlike skateboards, bikes have many components, which is why knowledge on all the parts is important. First off, here is a list of tools and components you will want to have around just incase your bike needs to be repaired.
Tools:
Allen keys
Grease (Parktool)
Lubricant (For chains/brake cables, I prefer tri-Flow)
Chain breaker
Tire levers
Tire pump
Sockets (deep sockets recommended for pegs)
Adjustable wrench
Wire cutters (for cutting brake cables)
Rubber mallet (for banging out bottom brackets and headsets)
Bar cutters or hack saw
Cone wrenches/cresent wrenches (for working with hubs and stuff)
Spare parts:
Spare parts are always important to have around. You will want to have extra tubes, extra tires and extra brake cables. You will be going through these parts most frequently.
Cleaning/maintenance:
It's always good to keep your bike looking sharp and running smooth. You should be cleaning your rims at least once a month to keep all the rubber from your brake pads off. Simple green works the best. [Simple green] will allow your brake pads to catch more on the rim, and keep your rims nice and shiny. You will want to clean your chain as well. Don't use WD40 on the chain. WD40 is a de-greaser which is not what you want for your chain. You can buy special lube, such as Tri Flow for your chain, which is only about $3.00. It is also good to make sure everything stays greased. You should put a lot of grease on every bolt, this will allow you to tighten it down more. You also want to make sure the crank spindle is well greased, and your axels. Check over everything before riding to make sure everything is tight. Wheels usually come loose periodically as well as seat posts and pedals.
Well that's basically it. You will find over time that you will learn how to fix your bike as more things start to break. And if everything else fails, just bring it to the local bike shop, but that should be the last resort.
Anti-Slip Bars
I'm sure everyone has faced this problem sometime during riding. Sometimes you will have a bad fall and there is no way you can keep your bars from slipping in your stem, but it shouldn't happen every riding session you have. If you are experiencing your bars slipping constantly these are a few tips you should look over.
1) Make sure there is no grease inside your stem where the bars are touching. Take your handle bars off and clean the clamp tube of the handlebars and the inside of your stem with paper towel and water.
2) Not all bars have the knurling on the clamp bar, or some just don't help much. Take your handle bars off and sand the clamp tube. A few people have tried putting grip tape on their clamp tube, how ever I don't find that necessary.
3) Make sure all your bolts for your stem are well greased. This goes for all the bolts on your bike. Just cover the bolts with any type of lubricating grease, this will help the bolts clamp down tighter.
Back Brakes
Brakes. Some people love them, some people hate them. Some people want good working brakes, but just don’t want to be bothered with working on them. If you actually put forth some effort, it’s not really that hard. Using some simple techniques, you too can have dialed in brakes.
Brake stuff needed: Brake system, lever, cable, cable stop, cable end pieces (go on end of housing…), straddle cable (and straddle guide piece)
Tools needed: Allen Keys, adjustable wrench, cable cutters, lube for cables, and grease for brake mounts.
Lever: The first thing to do is find the right kind of lever that best fits your needs. If your bars are short and the lever might go onto the bend, consider a pre-bent lever (obviously.)
Cable: Next, find the right cable. If you like to spin your bars a lot, but don’t want to be bothered with a gyro, go with a derailleur cable. This basically means that instead of the cable housing (the housing is what you put your cable through) coiling, it is linear, thus the inner cable wont bind up and lock your brakes up. So, you can spin your bars a ton of times, and they will still feel fine. If you don’t do any barspins, any cable will do.
Brakes: Choosing the best brakes is pretty tough, but you should just go with what you really want. Evolvers, 990s, and Hombres seem to be quite popular; however, you can really get any brakes to work well.
Brake Pads: Having good brake pads are really important. The best I have come across are Odyssey 1X4s and Kool Stop Eagle’s. The bigger the pad, the more dust they are likely to attract, so just keep that in mind.
Installing the brakes (Straight Cable): 1. First, get your brake lever on, wherever it feels most comfortable. This is actually important, because if it is positioned badly, you will have a terrible pull at your lever.
2. Next, install the brake arms (but don’t worry about tightening them down and adjusting the spring tension just yet. A very good idea would be to completely lube up the brake mounts with some grease. White Lithium is a good idea, but any sort of grease should help. The grease will allow the arms to move smoothly when the brakes are pulled in, and this is key.
3. Now it is time to do any cutting to your brake cable that you want. This depends on how long you want it, so really it’s just a personal preference. DO NOT just cut straight through the housing and cable at the same time. In fact, just to be safe, don’t even cut the cable yet. Just cut down the housing. Use some cable cutters such as these http://www.pcpolyzine.com/0202feb/cutter.jpg , or even better, if you have access to some Park Tools cable cutters that are meant specifically for bikes.
4. Before you install the brake cable, there is one thing to remember, and I will quote G-Sport George, “LUBE THE F-KING CABLES!” Lubing the cables is very important, because it really does make a difference to how good your brakes are going to work/feel. Look for lube such as tri-flow, or White Lightning. Just squirt some into the cable housing, on the cable itself… just go crazy with it. Once you have done this, you can install the cable. Put the ball/head of the brake cable into the brake lever. Once in you can bring your cable back in through the cable guides, and all the way to the cable stop. If you don’t have a stopper for your cables, you can always just use an old barrel adjuster from some brakes. So get your cable through, and prepare for the hardest part.
5. Get your straddle cable guide piece, and tighten it down onto the main cable. Don’t attach it too close to the cable guide, or else it will hit it when the brakes are pulled. Make sure you tighten it down damn good, to avoid the cable from pulling out. Next, take your straddle cable (the cable that goes from the brake arms to the guide piece… this is no special cable, you can just use any extra cable you have lying around) and also get one of the two brake lugs. Put the straddle cable through the brake lug, and tighten down real good. Now, put the lug with the cable in it back in the brake arm. Holding the other end of the cable, guide it through the straddle guide, and around to the other brake arm. Now take the other cable lug, and put the cable through, but DO NOT tighten it down yet. Put that cable lug into the other arm, but don’t let the cable come out of it. A good idea is to get a pair of pliers, and hold the end of the extra straddle cable. Now that both lugs are situated in the brake arms, you can pull the straddle cable with the pliers until the cable is tight, and the pads are right up or even touching the rim. Don’t worry if the pads are touching the rim, because spring tension will fix this. Again, make sure the brakes are tight, but of course, do not make it so tight that they are impossible to pull in. So, once at desired tightness, tighten the cable lug real good. Now, from the looks of things, you have your brakes ready, but you still have a little more work to do…
6. DON’T cut the extra cable pieces off just yet, because you MIGHT need to adjust them for some reason. So just to be safe, leave them be. It is now time for spring tension. For some reason people think that this is complicated, but it is really easy actually. You will need an Allen key, and an adjustable wrench. Very loose springs will give you a kind of mooshy brake feel. Tight springs will snap back, but be a little hard to pull in. This is another preference. I usually make them tight, but not super tight. Anyway, take the Allen key, and put it in the spring bolt, and also, put the adjustable wrench right on the piece that the bolt is holding down (it should be able to move easily at this point. Now, look at your brake arm; it should say which way the spring tension goes. So, all you have to do, is turn the adjustable wrench in that direction, and once at desired tension, turn the allen key until it tightens down all the way. You will probably see the brake pads move out a bit, and this means everything is going right. Do the same for the other side, getting the tension you want. Feel your brakes now, do they spring back just the way you want? If not, just work a little bit more with the tension until it fits your needs.
7. Now, on the brake pads. This is pretty easy. The pads come with a whole ton of spacers. Put the amount you want on the pad post, and put them onto your brakes. Put enough spacers on until the pads are fairly close to the rim. The closer to the rim, the better; at least I think so. Now, once at desired distance to the rim, squeeze your brakes in, so the pads lock up on the rim. This will make it easier to tighten down the pads (so they won’t move. Tighten down the pads, and…. YOU’RE DONE!
Now all is left to do, is cut any excess cable off, and either put a cable end piece on, or just some table (to avoid the ends from fraying.) Also, consider using a zip tie up near your head tube to keep the cable in place.
One extra tip: Keep your rims clean as often as you can. Just wiping them down with a wet cloth will help tons. I highly recommend looking into buying some Simple Green. It is just an ordinary All-Purpose cleaner, but when you clean your rims with it, it adds a bit of stickiness, which makes the brakes work awesome.
That looks like a lot of words up there, and it is… but it all seems like pretty easy stuff, right? Hope it all makes sense, and good luck. If you are having trouble after reading this, don’t be afraid to ask on the site.
Changing Tires
Changing a tube is a common thing when riding a bike. I'm sure you probably know how to change a tube by now, but in case you don't here is how it's done.
First you must remove the wheel from the bike. Now this is probably the hardest part because sometimes dropouts can be bent (like mine), axles can be bent (also like mine), or you simply don't want to go through the hassle of taking the wheel off. To get the wheel off just unscrew the bolts that hold it on and slide it off. If you're having trouble taking it off, something is probably bent. Get a hammer and hammer it off. If that doesn't work, get a bigger hammer. When hitting it you must be careful not to bash the threads because then you won't be able to get the bolts back on.
Now that the wheel is off, you can remove the tire. To remove the tire you need tire levers. If you don't have tire levers then a simple #2 or #3 slot head screwdriver will do. Although if you use a screwdriver, you have to be careful not to pinch the tube with it. Now simply lever the tire off the rim by using 2 or more levers (or screwdrivers) and run them along the bead of the tire (metal ring that holds the tire on) and be sure to use brute force. Keep in mind some tires are easier to remove than others. Now that the tire is half off, LEAVE IT HALF OFF! There is no need to fully remove the tire to get a new tube in. Next, pull the tube out and either replace it with a new one, or patch the old one. (Patching is cheaper). Inflate the tube with little bit of air to prevent it from twisting when you put in back on the rim. Now, place the tire back on the rim using the tire levers and inflate the tire (65 psi. for all around riding and 100 psi. for flatland). Now put the wheel back into the dropouts, center it (this may take some time) and put the nuts back on. Now that you have fixed your tube, get out and ride.
Cleaning Chain
A lot of people who ride on a day-to-day basis, especially you dirt jumpers, are bound to get a dirty chain which is bad because dirt absorbs the grease that keeps your chain nice and lubricated. Here's what you can do to keep it clean and lubricated.
First, take off the chain and wash with some soap and water.
Next, dry the chain and make sure it is dry (very important).
Next, get an oil pan or something that can hold liquid and pour some simple, everyday car oil in it.
Then, with your dry chain, lay it in the oil. You may want to soak your chain in the oil for about 24 hours. Doing this also keeps your chain from rusting easily.
Dialing Front Brakes
No matter if you have a 990, Hombre or Evolver, if you follow these instructions, you will get your brakes to work better than ever. Trust me, odds are your local bike shop doesn't know shit about dialing brakes.
Start off by making sure the brake arms fit on the posts. Sometimes the arms are too snug. If that is the case, you need to sand or dremel the posts a hair at a time. The posts should be greased lightly before the brake arms are put into place.
Next you will install the springs which should also have a dab of grease on them. Put the lock nut on and then lightly grease the bolt and install it into the post until it just gets snug and then back it off a hair until later. If you have a 990, throw away the plastic dust caps. They just cause friction and don't really do anything.
The next thing is to adjust the brake pads to where you want them by pushing the arm in until the shoe hits the rim. Make sure the whole pad touches the rim. If you want your brakes to feather better, toe them in so that only about 50% of the shoe hits the rim. You know you should sand the new brake shoe first, right? At least scuff it on the ground once or twice and then wipe off the dust.
I'm not going to get into all the variations of cable routing but I will say that the shorter the cable-the less friction-the less lost energy. Keep the cables short but make sure they aren't kinked. Get a bottle of Tri-flow or Slik 50 One Lube and put the little straw into the cable housing and drip enough into the housing that it comes out the other end. Make sure you grease the barrel of the cable where it goes into the lever. While you're at it, lightly grease the pivot of the lever.
I have also noticed that a lot of frames are set up so the barrel adjusters aren't in line with the brake mounts so the cable rubs against the adjuster when it's pulled. You can cut an old cable and get the teflon liner out or go to a bike shop and get a small piece to slide onto the cable and into the adjuster so it glides rather than grinds. You might also want to do this on a front brake where the cable goes between the arms but not too long or it will jam up and decrease the effectiveness of you brake.
Now that you have the cables routed to the brake, it's time to tighten them into position. With NO tension on the springs, position the shoes against the rim and then gently pull the cable snug and tighten the pinch bolt/knarp/clamp thing. If you are using a gyro, do the bottom cable first and then the upper cable. Make sure the lower cables are screwed all the way out of the gyro tabs and the uppers are all the way into the gyro tabs.
All right, it's finally spring time! The mistake people often make is that they put too much tension on their springs thinking that it will make their brakes better. It just makes them harder to pull. All the springs do is pull the shoes off the rim when the lever is released. Put the correct allen wrench into the bolt and gently twist the tensioning bolt just enough so that the shoe comes off the rim. Lock it into place with the allen key and do to same on the other side. Since you didn't pull the cable super tight before clamping it, the springs will pull the shoes away from the rim a little bit.
Make sure both shoes contact the rims at the same time. To keep them even you just need to put a little more tension on whichever side hits last.
To get the feel you want, you might need to adjust the pinch bolt on the cable. If you need to do this you must first release the spring tension so you aren't fighting the springs. This will also give you a reference point for where you want to move the cable to get the desired effect. As far as the pull, you can increase the spring tension to where you like it but you should remember to keep it to a minimum. Spin the barrel adjusters to fine tune and remove any slop.
Clean your rims with water or if they are really dirty use fantastic, windex or the fluid from you car's windshield wipers if you're in a pinch. After the first cleaning all you should need is to wipe them down with a wet rag or a spit covered finger. Just keep the dust off. If you rely on Simple Green or some other product, you aren't doing your brakes right and they will just get gunked up again.
Rules of thumb are:
Lube every place two things move against each other
Don't make your cables too long
Minimal spring tension makes for better brakes.
Installing/Removing Grips
It is very easy to install/remove your grips, as long as you know the right techniques. First make sure you take your bar ends off. The easiest way to remove your grips is with an air compressor. If you have access to an air compressor put the end of it under the grip, facing outwards. Now use the air compressor until the grip slides off nice and easy. This will be a very loud process. If you don't have an air compressor take a flat head screw driver and push it under the grip as far as you can and lift it up. Now spray WD40 inside the grip on the bars. Try to get underneath he grip as lubricated as you can until you can twist the grips off. If you don't care about saving the grips you can just cut them off with any type of blade. It is a lot easier to put grips on. I like to use WD40 on the bars to help the grip slide on easily and then when it dries it shouldn't slip or move at all. Make sure you allow a good 24 hours for your grips to dry before using them much. If you find that your grips are still moving after you have let it dried, spray the underneath of the grip with hair spray to allow it to stick to the bars.
Installing Sprocket
Installing a new sprocket is not such a big task as people make of it. These simple instructions should make it easier.
1) First step is to take the crank arm off of whichever side the sprocket is on, to do this just get the right size allen key to take out the main bolt that runs through the center of the arm, next you will have to untighten the other allen key screw that clamps the arm on the spindle.
2) Now that u have the arm and sprocket off as a whole, you want to take the right size allen key and unscrew the crank bolt completely from the backside of the sprocket.
3) Once this is done your sprocket will be separate from each arm, you also may need to pound out the spacer from the whole in the middle of the sprocket.
4) Now your going to get your new sprocket, put the washer inside the middle and screw the crank bolt back on so the sprocket and arm are re-connected. Now you have to slide the crank arm back on the spindle and put the chain on ( if your going down in sprocket size you will need a chain breaker to take a link out) once you have the chain sized right, put the arm on the spindle and set the chain up, tighten the main bolt and give a few cranks, if u hear cracking you need to take out a washer on the spindle so the sprocket and rear cog line up perfectly.
5) Once everything is all sized and ready to tighten, lube up the spindle with some good grease, tighten all bolts and go ride.
Maintaining Wheels/Axles
Some wheels are crap, some wheels are ace. If you have the latter, you shouldn't have too much of a problem, but I always have problems with wheels + axles particularly 10mm axles. Wheels: Every so often, my spokes think its funny to get loose which results in a very horrible clunking sound. It sounds like something is rattling around in the hub, but its not. Simple use a spoke key to tighten any loose spokes first, then true the wheel. Other problems only require a bit of obviouse thinking to repair.... failing that, replace it. Axles: If there's one pain in the arse I got its axles. 10mm axles always bend so obviously 14mm+ are preferred. When replacing axles, its always a good idea to "measure" the distance that the cone + lock nut of one side is; which makes it easier to get the axle central. Then grease up the cone nut, one side of the hub, + the bearings. If you use a lot of grease, then your bike will become very "slow" (cos there is so much grease), BUT it will only require attention again in probably 10 years. Once one side is in, grease up the other hub side, bearings and cone nut and screw the cone nut on. Don't do it too tight yet but get it sort of close. Then screw the lock nut on again not tight. Now wipe your hands! You need to get the cone nut tight enough so that the wheel doesn't wobble, but loose enough so that it runs freeely. Some people spend an hour doing this, so don't worry if it takes you a while too.
Rawing Frame
If you are looking for a new look but don't want to paint your frame or buy something new you may want to think about stripping your frame for a raw look. Raw frames have a nice unique look to them and can even help lose some weight (paint has weight too).
What you need:
Paint thinner (The kind in the spray can)
Steel wool
Clear Coat
Sand Paper
Gloves!
Drummel
Now let's get started. First off you need to take your bike apart so you are left with only the frame. You can leave the headset and bottom bracket in if you want just make sure you tape it up. Now take the paint stripper and spray the entire bike down. Wait about 10 - 15 minutes. Make sure you are wearing gloves because paint stripper burns. Take the steel wool and rub down the entire frame. Most likely the paint should come off pretty easily depending on the quality of the paint stripper. Rub off as much paint as you can. You will find that there are several spots you cant get, most likely around the bottom bracket or inside an welds. Use sand paper to remove any paint that the steel wool can't get off. Make sure not to use any sand paper that is too course because it will scratch up the frame. If there are still small spots you can't get, use a drummel with a thin brush tip to get in and get the job done. Once all of the paint is stripped off you have two choices. Either put your bike together as it is or cover it with clear coat. If you do not clear coat the frame rust will fill the frame very easily. If you choose to clear coat the frame (which is highly recommended) make sure to put at least 6 coats on. Let the frame dry for a bout a week before assembling to make sure it is totally dry and the clear coat won't ship. And that's it!
Reducing Weight
These days basically everyone wants to make their bike lighter. There are many ways to do this, some more expensive then others. Lighter bikes can help you have more control over your bike, and do things you may not be able to do on heavy bikes.
Okay, let's start out. The most obvious way to lose some weight for your bike is to buy lighter parts. When looking for new parts to buy, make sure you take it's weight into consideration. Most bike companies today are designing their parts to be lighter while saving strength, however this will result in an increase in price. While shopping for your bike, consider buying smaller parts, flatlanders generally like shorter cranks, frames and sprockets. Here is a way to save weight without modifying any parts:
1) The frame. You can save 2 - 3 pounds between frames easily. If you are buying a new frame try to stay away from the 7 lb frames, and closer to the 5 and 6 lb frames.
2) Seats. Why buy a big bulky padded seat? Get a slimmer seat like a shadow slim if you dont do pinch barspins or the new animal coming out with is perfect sized.
4)Tires. Yes tires do make a difference in weight. You can save over a pound on tired alone. If you go from Primo Walls (one of the heavier ones out there) to 88s or Comets, you will find a difference.
5)Finally, sprockets. Everything these days are getting smaller, including sprockets. A nice thin 24-25 tooth sprocket but it will be harder on your chain.
6)Wheels. If you don't need a freecoaster don't get one, they are a lot heavier then other hubs out there. Obviously the less spokes you have the lighter your wheel will be. Many riders are running 36 spokes, however this requires more maintenance then the 48 spoke wheel.
7)Axels. Titanium, hollow.. 3/8th on front even 3/8th on back if you dont do grinds.
Now for modifications. These changes are very small, how ever all of them added up do result in a difference in weight. Companies usually won't warranty their products after these mods are done, so be careful.
The drill is your friend. I have drilled out almost every part on my bike, even if it doesn't save much weight it does look rad. You can take apart your seat and drill holes in the plastic part and the back of it. You can also saw off the nose of the seat which many street riders do. Drilling out pegs is very popular these days. Another way to save some weight is to take bar cutters and cut your seat post and handle bars down. Each brake system weighs roughly half a pound if you are considering going brakeless or running only one brake. Exchanging y our spindle with a titanium spindle will save weight as well. If you are running a sprocket guard or one of those thick chains, take them off, ride a normal chain which is a lot lighter. You can buy aluminum chain tensioners which weigh next to nothing. You can also cut off your brake mounts on your fork/frame.
Bike Tips - Basic Repair / Maintenance
All riders at one point will need to know how to fix their bike. Unlike skateboards, bikes have many components, which is why knowledge on all the parts is important. First off, here is a list of tools and components you will want to have around just incase your bike needs to be repaired.
Tools:
Allen keys
Grease (Parktool)
Lubricant (For chains/brake cables, I prefer tri-Flow)
Chain breaker
Tire levers
Tire pump
Sockets (deep sockets recommended for pegs)
Adjustable wrench
Wire cutters (for cutting brake cables)
Rubber mallet (for banging out bottom brackets and headsets)
Bar cutters or hack saw
Cone wrenches/cresent wrenches (for working with hubs and stuff)
Spare parts:
Spare parts are always important to have around. You will want to have extra tubes, extra tires and extra brake cables. You will be going through these parts most frequently.
Cleaning/maintenance:
It's always good to keep your bike looking sharp and running smooth. You should be cleaning your rims at least once a month to keep all the rubber from your brake pads off. Simple green works the best. [Simple green] will allow your brake pads to catch more on the rim, and keep your rims nice and shiny. You will want to clean your chain as well. Don't use WD40 on the chain. WD40 is a de-greaser which is not what you want for your chain. You can buy special lube, such as Tri Flow for your chain, which is only about $3.00. It is also good to make sure everything stays greased. You should put a lot of grease on every bolt, this will allow you to tighten it down more. You also want to make sure the crank spindle is well greased, and your axels. Check over everything before riding to make sure everything is tight. Wheels usually come loose periodically as well as seat posts and pedals.
Well that's basically it. You will find over time that you will learn how to fix your bike as more things start to break. And if everything else fails, just bring it to the local bike shop, but that should be the last resort.
Anti-Slip Bars
I'm sure everyone has faced this problem sometime during riding. Sometimes you will have a bad fall and there is no way you can keep your bars from slipping in your stem, but it shouldn't happen every riding session you have. If you are experiencing your bars slipping constantly these are a few tips you should look over.
1) Make sure there is no grease inside your stem where the bars are touching. Take your handle bars off and clean the clamp tube of the handlebars and the inside of your stem with paper towel and water.
2) Not all bars have the knurling on the clamp bar, or some just don't help much. Take your handle bars off and sand the clamp tube. A few people have tried putting grip tape on their clamp tube, how ever I don't find that necessary.
3) Make sure all your bolts for your stem are well greased. This goes for all the bolts on your bike. Just cover the bolts with any type of lubricating grease, this will help the bolts clamp down tighter.
Back Brakes
Brakes. Some people love them, some people hate them. Some people want good working brakes, but just don’t want to be bothered with working on them. If you actually put forth some effort, it’s not really that hard. Using some simple techniques, you too can have dialed in brakes.
Brake stuff needed: Brake system, lever, cable, cable stop, cable end pieces (go on end of housing…), straddle cable (and straddle guide piece)
Tools needed: Allen Keys, adjustable wrench, cable cutters, lube for cables, and grease for brake mounts.
Lever: The first thing to do is find the right kind of lever that best fits your needs. If your bars are short and the lever might go onto the bend, consider a pre-bent lever (obviously.)
Cable: Next, find the right cable. If you like to spin your bars a lot, but don’t want to be bothered with a gyro, go with a derailleur cable. This basically means that instead of the cable housing (the housing is what you put your cable through) coiling, it is linear, thus the inner cable wont bind up and lock your brakes up. So, you can spin your bars a ton of times, and they will still feel fine. If you don’t do any barspins, any cable will do.
Brakes: Choosing the best brakes is pretty tough, but you should just go with what you really want. Evolvers, 990s, and Hombres seem to be quite popular; however, you can really get any brakes to work well.
Brake Pads: Having good brake pads are really important. The best I have come across are Odyssey 1X4s and Kool Stop Eagle’s. The bigger the pad, the more dust they are likely to attract, so just keep that in mind.
Installing the brakes (Straight Cable): 1. First, get your brake lever on, wherever it feels most comfortable. This is actually important, because if it is positioned badly, you will have a terrible pull at your lever.
2. Next, install the brake arms (but don’t worry about tightening them down and adjusting the spring tension just yet. A very good idea would be to completely lube up the brake mounts with some grease. White Lithium is a good idea, but any sort of grease should help. The grease will allow the arms to move smoothly when the brakes are pulled in, and this is key.
3. Now it is time to do any cutting to your brake cable that you want. This depends on how long you want it, so really it’s just a personal preference. DO NOT just cut straight through the housing and cable at the same time. In fact, just to be safe, don’t even cut the cable yet. Just cut down the housing. Use some cable cutters such as these http://www.pcpolyzine.com/0202feb/cutter.jpg , or even better, if you have access to some Park Tools cable cutters that are meant specifically for bikes.
4. Before you install the brake cable, there is one thing to remember, and I will quote G-Sport George, “LUBE THE F-KING CABLES!” Lubing the cables is very important, because it really does make a difference to how good your brakes are going to work/feel. Look for lube such as tri-flow, or White Lightning. Just squirt some into the cable housing, on the cable itself… just go crazy with it. Once you have done this, you can install the cable. Put the ball/head of the brake cable into the brake lever. Once in you can bring your cable back in through the cable guides, and all the way to the cable stop. If you don’t have a stopper for your cables, you can always just use an old barrel adjuster from some brakes. So get your cable through, and prepare for the hardest part.
5. Get your straddle cable guide piece, and tighten it down onto the main cable. Don’t attach it too close to the cable guide, or else it will hit it when the brakes are pulled. Make sure you tighten it down damn good, to avoid the cable from pulling out. Next, take your straddle cable (the cable that goes from the brake arms to the guide piece… this is no special cable, you can just use any extra cable you have lying around) and also get one of the two brake lugs. Put the straddle cable through the brake lug, and tighten down real good. Now, put the lug with the cable in it back in the brake arm. Holding the other end of the cable, guide it through the straddle guide, and around to the other brake arm. Now take the other cable lug, and put the cable through, but DO NOT tighten it down yet. Put that cable lug into the other arm, but don’t let the cable come out of it. A good idea is to get a pair of pliers, and hold the end of the extra straddle cable. Now that both lugs are situated in the brake arms, you can pull the straddle cable with the pliers until the cable is tight, and the pads are right up or even touching the rim. Don’t worry if the pads are touching the rim, because spring tension will fix this. Again, make sure the brakes are tight, but of course, do not make it so tight that they are impossible to pull in. So, once at desired tightness, tighten the cable lug real good. Now, from the looks of things, you have your brakes ready, but you still have a little more work to do…
6. DON’T cut the extra cable pieces off just yet, because you MIGHT need to adjust them for some reason. So just to be safe, leave them be. It is now time for spring tension. For some reason people think that this is complicated, but it is really easy actually. You will need an Allen key, and an adjustable wrench. Very loose springs will give you a kind of mooshy brake feel. Tight springs will snap back, but be a little hard to pull in. This is another preference. I usually make them tight, but not super tight. Anyway, take the Allen key, and put it in the spring bolt, and also, put the adjustable wrench right on the piece that the bolt is holding down (it should be able to move easily at this point. Now, look at your brake arm; it should say which way the spring tension goes. So, all you have to do, is turn the adjustable wrench in that direction, and once at desired tension, turn the allen key until it tightens down all the way. You will probably see the brake pads move out a bit, and this means everything is going right. Do the same for the other side, getting the tension you want. Feel your brakes now, do they spring back just the way you want? If not, just work a little bit more with the tension until it fits your needs.
7. Now, on the brake pads. This is pretty easy. The pads come with a whole ton of spacers. Put the amount you want on the pad post, and put them onto your brakes. Put enough spacers on until the pads are fairly close to the rim. The closer to the rim, the better; at least I think so. Now, once at desired distance to the rim, squeeze your brakes in, so the pads lock up on the rim. This will make it easier to tighten down the pads (so they won’t move. Tighten down the pads, and…. YOU’RE DONE!
Now all is left to do, is cut any excess cable off, and either put a cable end piece on, or just some table (to avoid the ends from fraying.) Also, consider using a zip tie up near your head tube to keep the cable in place.
One extra tip: Keep your rims clean as often as you can. Just wiping them down with a wet cloth will help tons. I highly recommend looking into buying some Simple Green. It is just an ordinary All-Purpose cleaner, but when you clean your rims with it, it adds a bit of stickiness, which makes the brakes work awesome.
That looks like a lot of words up there, and it is… but it all seems like pretty easy stuff, right? Hope it all makes sense, and good luck. If you are having trouble after reading this, don’t be afraid to ask on the site.
Changing Tires
Changing a tube is a common thing when riding a bike. I'm sure you probably know how to change a tube by now, but in case you don't here is how it's done.
First you must remove the wheel from the bike. Now this is probably the hardest part because sometimes dropouts can be bent (like mine), axles can be bent (also like mine), or you simply don't want to go through the hassle of taking the wheel off. To get the wheel off just unscrew the bolts that hold it on and slide it off. If you're having trouble taking it off, something is probably bent. Get a hammer and hammer it off. If that doesn't work, get a bigger hammer. When hitting it you must be careful not to bash the threads because then you won't be able to get the bolts back on.
Now that the wheel is off, you can remove the tire. To remove the tire you need tire levers. If you don't have tire levers then a simple #2 or #3 slot head screwdriver will do. Although if you use a screwdriver, you have to be careful not to pinch the tube with it. Now simply lever the tire off the rim by using 2 or more levers (or screwdrivers) and run them along the bead of the tire (metal ring that holds the tire on) and be sure to use brute force. Keep in mind some tires are easier to remove than others. Now that the tire is half off, LEAVE IT HALF OFF! There is no need to fully remove the tire to get a new tube in. Next, pull the tube out and either replace it with a new one, or patch the old one. (Patching is cheaper). Inflate the tube with little bit of air to prevent it from twisting when you put in back on the rim. Now, place the tire back on the rim using the tire levers and inflate the tire (65 psi. for all around riding and 100 psi. for flatland). Now put the wheel back into the dropouts, center it (this may take some time) and put the nuts back on. Now that you have fixed your tube, get out and ride.
Cleaning Chain
A lot of people who ride on a day-to-day basis, especially you dirt jumpers, are bound to get a dirty chain which is bad because dirt absorbs the grease that keeps your chain nice and lubricated. Here's what you can do to keep it clean and lubricated.
First, take off the chain and wash with some soap and water.
Next, dry the chain and make sure it is dry (very important).
Next, get an oil pan or something that can hold liquid and pour some simple, everyday car oil in it.
Then, with your dry chain, lay it in the oil. You may want to soak your chain in the oil for about 24 hours. Doing this also keeps your chain from rusting easily.
Dialing Front Brakes
No matter if you have a 990, Hombre or Evolver, if you follow these instructions, you will get your brakes to work better than ever. Trust me, odds are your local bike shop doesn't know shit about dialing brakes.
Start off by making sure the brake arms fit on the posts. Sometimes the arms are too snug. If that is the case, you need to sand or dremel the posts a hair at a time. The posts should be greased lightly before the brake arms are put into place.
Next you will install the springs which should also have a dab of grease on them. Put the lock nut on and then lightly grease the bolt and install it into the post until it just gets snug and then back it off a hair until later. If you have a 990, throw away the plastic dust caps. They just cause friction and don't really do anything.
The next thing is to adjust the brake pads to where you want them by pushing the arm in until the shoe hits the rim. Make sure the whole pad touches the rim. If you want your brakes to feather better, toe them in so that only about 50% of the shoe hits the rim. You know you should sand the new brake shoe first, right? At least scuff it on the ground once or twice and then wipe off the dust.
I'm not going to get into all the variations of cable routing but I will say that the shorter the cable-the less friction-the less lost energy. Keep the cables short but make sure they aren't kinked. Get a bottle of Tri-flow or Slik 50 One Lube and put the little straw into the cable housing and drip enough into the housing that it comes out the other end. Make sure you grease the barrel of the cable where it goes into the lever. While you're at it, lightly grease the pivot of the lever.
I have also noticed that a lot of frames are set up so the barrel adjusters aren't in line with the brake mounts so the cable rubs against the adjuster when it's pulled. You can cut an old cable and get the teflon liner out or go to a bike shop and get a small piece to slide onto the cable and into the adjuster so it glides rather than grinds. You might also want to do this on a front brake where the cable goes between the arms but not too long or it will jam up and decrease the effectiveness of you brake.
Now that you have the cables routed to the brake, it's time to tighten them into position. With NO tension on the springs, position the shoes against the rim and then gently pull the cable snug and tighten the pinch bolt/knarp/clamp thing. If you are using a gyro, do the bottom cable first and then the upper cable. Make sure the lower cables are screwed all the way out of the gyro tabs and the uppers are all the way into the gyro tabs.
All right, it's finally spring time! The mistake people often make is that they put too much tension on their springs thinking that it will make their brakes better. It just makes them harder to pull. All the springs do is pull the shoes off the rim when the lever is released. Put the correct allen wrench into the bolt and gently twist the tensioning bolt just enough so that the shoe comes off the rim. Lock it into place with the allen key and do to same on the other side. Since you didn't pull the cable super tight before clamping it, the springs will pull the shoes away from the rim a little bit.
Make sure both shoes contact the rims at the same time. To keep them even you just need to put a little more tension on whichever side hits last.
To get the feel you want, you might need to adjust the pinch bolt on the cable. If you need to do this you must first release the spring tension so you aren't fighting the springs. This will also give you a reference point for where you want to move the cable to get the desired effect. As far as the pull, you can increase the spring tension to where you like it but you should remember to keep it to a minimum. Spin the barrel adjusters to fine tune and remove any slop.
Clean your rims with water or if they are really dirty use fantastic, windex or the fluid from you car's windshield wipers if you're in a pinch. After the first cleaning all you should need is to wipe them down with a wet rag or a spit covered finger. Just keep the dust off. If you rely on Simple Green or some other product, you aren't doing your brakes right and they will just get gunked up again.
Rules of thumb are:
Lube every place two things move against each other
Don't make your cables too long
Minimal spring tension makes for better brakes.
Installing/Removing Grips
It is very easy to install/remove your grips, as long as you know the right techniques. First make sure you take your bar ends off. The easiest way to remove your grips is with an air compressor. If you have access to an air compressor put the end of it under the grip, facing outwards. Now use the air compressor until the grip slides off nice and easy. This will be a very loud process. If you don't have an air compressor take a flat head screw driver and push it under the grip as far as you can and lift it up. Now spray WD40 inside the grip on the bars. Try to get underneath he grip as lubricated as you can until you can twist the grips off. If you don't care about saving the grips you can just cut them off with any type of blade. It is a lot easier to put grips on. I like to use WD40 on the bars to help the grip slide on easily and then when it dries it shouldn't slip or move at all. Make sure you allow a good 24 hours for your grips to dry before using them much. If you find that your grips are still moving after you have let it dried, spray the underneath of the grip with hair spray to allow it to stick to the bars.
Installing Sprocket
Installing a new sprocket is not such a big task as people make of it. These simple instructions should make it easier.
1) First step is to take the crank arm off of whichever side the sprocket is on, to do this just get the right size allen key to take out the main bolt that runs through the center of the arm, next you will have to untighten the other allen key screw that clamps the arm on the spindle.
2) Now that u have the arm and sprocket off as a whole, you want to take the right size allen key and unscrew the crank bolt completely from the backside of the sprocket.
3) Once this is done your sprocket will be separate from each arm, you also may need to pound out the spacer from the whole in the middle of the sprocket.
4) Now your going to get your new sprocket, put the washer inside the middle and screw the crank bolt back on so the sprocket and arm are re-connected. Now you have to slide the crank arm back on the spindle and put the chain on ( if your going down in sprocket size you will need a chain breaker to take a link out) once you have the chain sized right, put the arm on the spindle and set the chain up, tighten the main bolt and give a few cranks, if u hear cracking you need to take out a washer on the spindle so the sprocket and rear cog line up perfectly.
5) Once everything is all sized and ready to tighten, lube up the spindle with some good grease, tighten all bolts and go ride.
Maintaining Wheels/Axles
Some wheels are crap, some wheels are ace. If you have the latter, you shouldn't have too much of a problem, but I always have problems with wheels + axles particularly 10mm axles. Wheels: Every so often, my spokes think its funny to get loose which results in a very horrible clunking sound. It sounds like something is rattling around in the hub, but its not. Simple use a spoke key to tighten any loose spokes first, then true the wheel. Other problems only require a bit of obviouse thinking to repair.... failing that, replace it. Axles: If there's one pain in the arse I got its axles. 10mm axles always bend so obviously 14mm+ are preferred. When replacing axles, its always a good idea to "measure" the distance that the cone + lock nut of one side is; which makes it easier to get the axle central. Then grease up the cone nut, one side of the hub, + the bearings. If you use a lot of grease, then your bike will become very "slow" (cos there is so much grease), BUT it will only require attention again in probably 10 years. Once one side is in, grease up the other hub side, bearings and cone nut and screw the cone nut on. Don't do it too tight yet but get it sort of close. Then screw the lock nut on again not tight. Now wipe your hands! You need to get the cone nut tight enough so that the wheel doesn't wobble, but loose enough so that it runs freeely. Some people spend an hour doing this, so don't worry if it takes you a while too.
Rawing Frame
If you are looking for a new look but don't want to paint your frame or buy something new you may want to think about stripping your frame for a raw look. Raw frames have a nice unique look to them and can even help lose some weight (paint has weight too).
What you need:
Paint thinner (The kind in the spray can)
Steel wool
Clear Coat
Sand Paper
Gloves!
Drummel
Now let's get started. First off you need to take your bike apart so you are left with only the frame. You can leave the headset and bottom bracket in if you want just make sure you tape it up. Now take the paint stripper and spray the entire bike down. Wait about 10 - 15 minutes. Make sure you are wearing gloves because paint stripper burns. Take the steel wool and rub down the entire frame. Most likely the paint should come off pretty easily depending on the quality of the paint stripper. Rub off as much paint as you can. You will find that there are several spots you cant get, most likely around the bottom bracket or inside an welds. Use sand paper to remove any paint that the steel wool can't get off. Make sure not to use any sand paper that is too course because it will scratch up the frame. If there are still small spots you can't get, use a drummel with a thin brush tip to get in and get the job done. Once all of the paint is stripped off you have two choices. Either put your bike together as it is or cover it with clear coat. If you do not clear coat the frame rust will fill the frame very easily. If you choose to clear coat the frame (which is highly recommended) make sure to put at least 6 coats on. Let the frame dry for a bout a week before assembling to make sure it is totally dry and the clear coat won't ship. And that's it!
Reducing Weight
These days basically everyone wants to make their bike lighter. There are many ways to do this, some more expensive then others. Lighter bikes can help you have more control over your bike, and do things you may not be able to do on heavy bikes.
Okay, let's start out. The most obvious way to lose some weight for your bike is to buy lighter parts. When looking for new parts to buy, make sure you take it's weight into consideration. Most bike companies today are designing their parts to be lighter while saving strength, however this will result in an increase in price. While shopping for your bike, consider buying smaller parts, flatlanders generally like shorter cranks, frames and sprockets. Here is a way to save weight without modifying any parts:
1) The frame. You can save 2 - 3 pounds between frames easily. If you are buying a new frame try to stay away from the 7 lb frames, and closer to the 5 and 6 lb frames.
2) Seats. Why buy a big bulky padded seat? Get a slimmer seat like a shadow slim if you dont do pinch barspins or the new animal coming out with is perfect sized.
4)Tires. Yes tires do make a difference in weight. You can save over a pound on tired alone. If you go from Primo Walls (one of the heavier ones out there) to 88s or Comets, you will find a difference.
5)Finally, sprockets. Everything these days are getting smaller, including sprockets. A nice thin 24-25 tooth sprocket but it will be harder on your chain.
6)Wheels. If you don't need a freecoaster don't get one, they are a lot heavier then other hubs out there. Obviously the less spokes you have the lighter your wheel will be. Many riders are running 36 spokes, however this requires more maintenance then the 48 spoke wheel.
7)Axels. Titanium, hollow.. 3/8th on front even 3/8th on back if you dont do grinds.
Now for modifications. These changes are very small, how ever all of them added up do result in a difference in weight. Companies usually won't warranty their products after these mods are done, so be careful.
The drill is your friend. I have drilled out almost every part on my bike, even if it doesn't save much weight it does look rad. You can take apart your seat and drill holes in the plastic part and the back of it. You can also saw off the nose of the seat which many street riders do. Drilling out pegs is very popular these days. Another way to save some weight is to take bar cutters and cut your seat post and handle bars down. Each brake system weighs roughly half a pound if you are considering going brakeless or running only one brake. Exchanging y our spindle with a titanium spindle will save weight as well. If you are running a sprocket guard or one of those thick chains, take them off, ride a normal chain which is a lot lighter. You can buy aluminum chain tensioners which weigh next to nothing. You can also cut off your brake mounts on your fork/frame.