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Basic drive train / chain maintenance...

Hi,

Ridden 750miles on the new bike and it hasn't had any tlc....

Now the gears aren't shifting as nicely as they once were - and the chain is making a bit of a grinding noise.

Could just take it to the bike shop but could someone advise what i need to do - or a website with the basics of bike maintenance on.

So far i've grasped that you....

Clean the chain with a clip on tool to get ride of the gunk

Re-oil.

Adjust gears - which i don't know how to do!!

Is that about it?

Cheers,

Will.

Comments

  • jibby26jibby26 Posts: 261
    This link has been posted before but good clip on how to tune the gears.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkzvfCaIbyQ
  • apana790apana790 Posts: 76
    you havent cleaned your chain for 750 miles ? If so i would get a new one and clean it every 100-200 miles or after every wet ride. If you have shimano derauillers there are two small screws at the back of the rear and at the top of the front one with letters L and H. Those are for fine tuning the gears although you might also need to get new gear cables. If not confident with doing all of that or you don't have all the tools take it to your lbs
  • apana790apana790 Posts: 76
    damn, just watched the vid and it tells you about the screws. How ignorant of me
  • risris Posts: 1,002
    the issue of chain maintenance is as bad for disagreements in the cycling community as shimano vs campag.

    kmc do a little chain maintenance article on their website, but i've seen it cause more arguments than it solves.

    personally, i steer clear of dunk and turn chain cleaners, or dropping the chain into diesel or white spirit and shaking it up/leaving it for a month. there is a suggestion that when chains come from the manufacturer they have lubricant deep within the links, which sounds plausible. i can also buy the idea that dunking/soaking could remove this and i will struggle to put it back in.

    i clean down the chain, chainrings and cassette with a bit of degreaser on a rag. not soaking but wet, and just enough to clean off the worst of the gunk off the plates and tops of the rollers. i then put a bit of lubricant (usually a wet lube as i tend to ride in all conditions) on the chain and wipe off the excess, going over the chain a couple of times to get it covered.

    cleaning the chain is mainly to reduce chainring and cassette wear though, so another good thing to do is swap the chain out regularly (even before chain stretch is apparent). once you have stretch in the chain get it off and chuck it. i have 2 chains and ideally look to swap every 4-6 weeks, but sometimes this doesn't happen!

    ok, now let the flaming of my wrong chain maintenance begin!
  • TommiTriTommiTri Posts: 879
    don't use the screws on the rear mech!!!! rookie mistake there mate!
    If you are experiencing skipping you need to adjust the black barrel adjuster.
    Get it on the big chain ring at the front and all the way down to the smallest cog on the back, now switch one up, so its on the 2nd cog up. Now, adjust the barrel adjuster till it almost wants to change to the 3rd cog up and starts to skip a bit, now turn it the other way till it goes silent, this should be in the right place now.
  • md6md6 Posts: 969
    Are there any good beginners books on this sort of thing, I've never really done any form of bike maintenence and so if there was something like a Hayes manual for bikes then that would be good. Anyone have any ideas?

    As for what to do - i tend to wipe my chain down with a wet rag, then spray with gt85 wilst turning, then leave for half hour and then wipe off the excess with another damp rag (i tend to turn the cranks backwards whilst spraying and wiping) I have no idea if that is good bad or going to cause me to crash and explode but for some reason i think that it is ok...
  • willtriwilltri Posts: 436
    Anyone know if this book is any good.

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1934 ... d_i=468294

    Don't want to do the serious maintenance - just keep the bike riding nice....Bottom brackets, wheel building can be left to the pros...
  • durhamvamdurhamvam Posts: 246
    HAT officer has this one:

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bike-Book-Fred- ... gy_b_img_c

    I keep meaning to look into it but................
  • TommiTriTommiTri Posts: 879
    I have the triathlon bikes version, its excellent!
  • willtriwilltri Posts: 436
    TommiTri wrote:
    I have the triathlon bikes version, its excellent!
    Can't find this anywhere? Where did you pick it up from?
  • risris Posts: 1,002
    md6 wrote:
    Are there any good beginners books on this sort of thing, I've never really done any form of bike maintenence and so if there was something like a Hayes manual for bikes then that would be good. Anyone have any ideas?

    As for what to do - i tend to wipe my chain down with a wet rag, then spray with gt85 wilst turning, then leave for half hour and then wipe off the excess with another damp rag (i tend to turn the cranks backwards whilst spraying and wiping) I have no idea if that is good bad or going to cause me to crash and explode but for some reason i think that it is ok...
    gt85 looks great... no it doesn't... actually yes it does... but...

    i think that if you find a cleaning regime that you are happy with and you do often enough to keep the bike happy then do it. i would recommend the chain swapping thing though, it could save a fortune in cassettes and keep the bike running smoother for longer.
  • willtriwilltri Posts: 436
  • jibby26jibby26 Posts: 261
    I have this maintainance book.

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Road-Bike-Maint ... 146&sr=8-4

    Really useful and it's spiral bound so opens flat on the workbench/table while you actually do what it suggests. Full colour and has separate instructions for shimano/campag/SRAM where appropriate. Looked through 3/4 of them in Waterstones and liked the style of this one.
  • md6md6 Posts: 969
    those books look good, i'll have to get buying agin, that is once i get the cards back from the gat officer - she confiscated them after i booked IMCH...
  • BmanBman Posts: 442
    Ive also got that orange bike book, and its really good for when you are scratching your head out by the bike shed, but the parktool website has absolutely everything about maintenance and repairs.
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