| Email your Commenets and Suggestions to: pkirbs@yahoo.co.uk |
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| REPLACING A GEAR CABLE . . . |
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1. When buying replacement gear cables, make sure you buy the best quality cables you can get. Big brand names like Fibrax, Shimano, Clarks and Avid are generally a safe bet. We’ve found Shimano cables to be reliable and well priced. The pre-packed Shimano kits have everything that you’ll need, unless you’re riding a big rig with odd cable routing. |
| 2. Remove the old cable. You’ll need to remove the cover on your shifter to get the cable out. To do this, undo the plastic screw between the shift levers. |
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3. Give the drivetrain a thorough clean. Use a good degreaser on the mech, cassette and chain. Then re-lube the chain and mech pivots with cross-country lube, such as Finish Line’s Cross-Country Lube. |
| 4. Now shift into the gear which corresponds to the smallest sprocket, usually all the way out on a Rapidfire-style shifter. |
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5. Thread the new inner cable into the shifter unit, and check that the barrel adjuster is wound fully in (clockwise), then back it off half a turn (anti-clockwise). |
6. Measure the sections of cable outer before you cut them, and check that the cable is long enough to allow the bar to rotate fully from lock to lock.
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7. Cut the cable outer to the required length, and check that the liner of the cable is not crimped. If the liner is crimped, use a knife to open up the cable liner so you can fit some new cable ferrules. |
| 8. Dip the end of the inner cable into some high quality cable lube, such as Finish Line’s Gripshift grease and thread it into the cable outer. |
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9. Locate the new sections of cable outer in the cable stops; thread cable into the rear mech. |
| 10. Wind the barrel adjuster all the way in (clockwise) and then back it off half a turn (anti-clockwise). |
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11. With the chain on the smallest sprocket, and while you’re pulling the whole cable tight, clamp the cable into the groove on the underside of the parallel linkage. |
| 12. Grab the exposed section of the inner cable with a gloved hand and stretch it away from the bike. Then re-tension the cable as in step 10. |
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Tips
EASY THREADING: When replacing a gear cable, always use a new, uncut inner cable. This will make it much easier to thread the cable through the shifter and into the cable housings.
IT TAKES TWO: Always remember to replace the cable inner and outer together; there’s no point putting new cable into a dodgy old outer.
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| FITTING A NEW HEADSET . . . |
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1 Remove the front wheel and fork from your bike and take out your old headset. Use a mallet and rocket tool to bash the old cups out. If you don’t have a rocket tool, use a screwdriver or socket extension bar. |
2 Give the head tube a clean and use a file to remove burrs or uneven edges from the inside. If there’s excess paint on the faces of the tube, you’ll need to use a head tube facing tool to level out the tube.
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3 Slide the cups into the head tube and set up your headset press. Usually, one cup will be designed specifically for the top of the head tube and one will be for the bottom, so make sure that they are in the correct position. Usefully, some headsets come with different looking cups, making it easier to tell the top and bottom units apart. Occasionally, cheaper headsets have the same cups at the top and bottom, so make sure you know what type of cups you’re dealing with. Do not grease the head tube or cups, as they need to be tolerance fit and grease will cause the headset to come loose. |
| 4 If your headset has regular bearings, use the stepped spacers on the headset press. If your headset comes with sealed bearings, make sure you only use the flat section of the press, as pressing on the actual bearings could damage them. |
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5 Slowly wind the press downwards so that the cups move into the head tube, ensuring they are aligned straight in the frame. If you’re having trouble keeping the cups aligned, it’s useful to press them into the tube one at a time. If a cup starts going into the head tube at an angle, stop winding the press immediately and tap the cup out. Forcing a misaligned cup into place could damage the headset and frame. |
| 6 Wind the press down until the cups are pressed firmly against the head tube. Keep checking that the cups are going in straight. With the cups in position, do a final alignment check, remove the press and clean any metal burrs or paint chippings out of the cups. |
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7 Remove the crown race from your fork with a punch and hammer to tap the front and back of the race until it comes off. If the crown race is stuck, most bike shops will be able to remove it using a special press. |
8 Use a piece of fine emery paper to smooth the surface of the fork crown and remove any rust. If the crown is very uneven, take it to a bike shop and have it faced. Now re-fit the race using a slide hammer or a section of metal tubing that fits neatly over the steerer tube. Ensure that the race fits snugly and is flush with the crown.
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9 Grease the bearing races on the crown thoroughly and give the steerer tube a light coating of grease to help prevent corrosion. If your headset has sealed bearings, a light smear of grease on the seals and inner cups will prolong the bearing life. Now add the bearing seals to the headset and re-fit all the parts you removed. Fit the fork back into the head tube and add the headset spacers and stem. Finally, fit the top cap loosely and bolt the front wheel back on. |
| 10 With the bike back on the floor use an allen key to gradually tighten up the top cap and preload the headset bearings, gently rocking your bike back and forth using the brakes to detect any play in the headset. Keep tightening the headset until there is no movement, and check that the stem is clamped up tightly. |
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Tips
It’s helpful to clamp your bike in a workstand. Always clamp the seatpost to prevent damaging your frame.
A headset press is essential for fitting a headset. If you can’t afford a press (which retails at around £140), you’ll have to take your rig to a bike shop and use their press.
Use high quality grease and tools: poor equipment = poor results
Don’t overtighten the top cap, as you’ll damage the bearings.
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| REPLACE A SHIMANO BOTTOM BRACKET . . |
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1 Give your bike a thorough wash – it’s much easier to work on a clean bike, and accumulated dirt could damage the threads and bearings. |
| 2 Take the crank arms off. To do this, remove the 8mm allen bolt in the centre of each arm. Apply thick chain lube to the crank arms’ threads to lessen the chances of stripping them. Now thread in a crank puller and turn it clockwise – this will push the crank arm off the bottom bracket. Repeat on the other side. |
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3 If the thread in either of the crank arms is stripped, remove the 8mm crank bolt and ride the bike around. The arm should fall off quite easily, although you might have to cut it off by hacksawing across the taper if it’s really seized on. The crank arms will now need replacing. |
| 4 Now start removing the BB. Use a splined BB tool to undo the non drive-side/left-hand cup. The cup has a regular thread, so it undoes anti-clockwise. |
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5 Remove the drive-side/right-hand cup. This component has a left-handed thread, so it undoes clockwise. As you remove the drive-side cup, the main BB unit should come out too. |
| 6 If the whole BB is seized into the frame and won’t budge using the regular method, you will need a bench vice. If you haven’t got one, you’ll need to take your bike to your local bike shop…
Remove the wheels from your bike and place the BB tool into the bench vice with the splines pointing upwards. Then attach the cup to the tool and use the frame as a large lever to undo the BB. You might need a friend to stand on the other side of the BB shell to keep the cup firmly located.
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7 Once you’ve removed the old unit, you need to thoroughly clean the BB shell and check the threads for any burrs or imperfections. If the threads are damaged, you’ll need to get them re-tapped at a bike shop – most shops have the specialist cutting tools required for the job and usually charge around £10 to £15. |
| 8 Thoroughly re-grease the BB shell threads with a good quality bike grease, such as Weldtite’s Bike Grease with Teflon. Using a grease gun will make the application less messy. |
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9 Now carefully thread the non drive-side/left-hand cup back into the frame, by turning it clockwise until it sits about half way in. The cup should go in smoothly with minimal force; if it takes a spanner to put the cup in, the threads are damaged and you need to go back to step seven. |
| 10 Next, thread in the drive-side cup, together with the new bottom bracket unit. The cup and main unit should be threaded anti-clockwise into the frame. |
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11 Continue to tighten the drive-side cup until it sits flush with the BB shell before tightening the cup very tightly to 440in-lb. Tighten the non-drive cup a little less tightly to 390in-lb. |
| 12 Finally, re-fit your crank arms, adding a light smear of grease on the BB axle and on the threads of the crank bolts. |
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Tips
Thread Easy
If you can’t get the bottom bracket cup to locate on the thread, gently turn the cup as if to undo it while applying light pressure towards the frame. The cup will give a light click and drop in slightly as it picks up the first thread, and then you can tighten it into the frame.
Creaking bb?
If your newly-fitted BB begins to creak in its shell, it means your BB shell might need facing off. This problem usually occurs when there’s paint between the flange on the drive side cup and the shell, or when the shell’s outer edge is not parallel to the BB threads. To solve it, get your bike shop to re-face the drive-side of the shell, this will remove any paint and level the surface.
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| CHANGE YOUR FORK OIL . . . |
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1. Clean them
Drop the fork out of the bike and remove the brakes: it’s much easier to service the fork on its own. Using a soft brush, wash your forks in soapy water to remove any build up of dirt, then spray them all over with water-displacing fluid, such as GT85, and wipe clean. Pay particular attention to the underside of the brake arch, the fork seals and around the top caps – dirt tends to lurk in these areas and if not properly cleaned could contaminate your fork internals. |
2. Big let down
If you have an air fork, remove the dust caps and carefully release the air from the Schrader valves with a small screwdriver. Hold a cloth over the valves – this will stop you getting a face full of oil when the air comes rushing out. If you have one, use a Schrader valve core remover to check and clean the air valves. If there is any damage to the seal, replace the valves. They’re available from any car spares supplier. |
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3. Out with the old
Undo the top caps with a socket and ratchet, then turn the fork upside down to drain the oil. Use an old bucket or washing-up bowl to catch the oil, and pump the fork to empty the cartridge fully. Give the top of the fork another wipe over to remove any old oil, and check that the rubber seals on the air caps are clean and damage free. You are now ready to start replacing the oil. |
4. Fill her up mate
Fully compress the fork and fill the legs up with oil. On this Marzocchi, the oil should be 40-45mm from the top of the stanchions with the fork fully compressed. Gently extend the fork and recompress to expel any air bubbles, and then top up the oil to the correct height. If you find the damping too fast or slow, this is a good chance to rectify matters. 7.5wt is the normal weight on this fork. A heavier 10wt oil will slow things down, and a lighter 5wt oil will speed up the fork action. Check in your manual for recommended oil weights and amounts. If you don’t have one, you can usually get one from the manufacturer’s website.
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5. Seal
Refit the top caps, making sure you don’t over-tighten them (20Nm if you have a torque wrench; otherwise, just nip ’em up). Smear a little grease on the rubber o-rings before fitting, this will allow the o-rings to seat properly and ensure a good seal. Compress your fork to check the amount of travel you’re getting. If you find you’re not getting full travel, whip off the top caps and lower the oil height a little. Likewise, if you want to reduce your travel, put a bit more oil in.
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6. Pump it baby
Screw on your shock pump and inflate your fork to around 40psi for starters. Check the fork thoroughly for any leaks and wipe away any excess oil. Pop a little grease into your headset while the fork is out, and attach it back onto your steed. If you find the fork too soft, just increase the air pressure 5psi at a time. If it’s too hard, decrease the air pressure. Your fork’s sorted, now get out there and ride… |
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Tips
ELIMINATION OF CONTAMINATION
After a season of riding, your fork could be feeling pretty ropey – any amount of dust, water and dirt can contaminate your fork oil. Extremes of temperature can introduce condensation, which will affect your fork’s performance and break down your fork oil. As the fork gets more abuse, the oil will begin to cavitate or foam and your damping control will start to deteriorate. Quite often, though, a simple oil change will bring the fork back to life again. Most manufacturers recommend an oil change every 100 hours or so, or every six months, whichever comes first.
It’s important that you use good quality tools, not the rusty ones at the back of the shed. Always use the correct size socket or ring spanner – that 16in adjustable in dad’s toolbox will only round off nuts and make it more difficult and costly next time.
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| TRUING A WHEEL . . . |
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1. IDENTIFY THE BUCKLE
Spin the wheel in the jig (if you haven’t got a truing jig, use brake blocks or pencils ziptied to your frame as a guide) and move the pincer shaped indicators (at the bottom of the wheel) inwards until they rub on the rim. Mark the centre point of the buckle with a permanent marker. This makes it easier to identify the part of the wheel you are working on, and also to identify the pair of spokes nearest to the centre of the buckle.
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2. ADJUST TENSION
If the buckle is to the right, then tighten the left spoke a quarter turn by turning the spoke key anti-clockwise. Then loosen the right spoke a quarter turn by turning clockwise. If the buckle is to the left, tighten the right spoke and loosen the left one. The more you practise, the more you will learn how much to turn the spoke key for any particular buckle. But for now, let’s keep it simple and only use a quarter of a turn at a time. Then all you need to do is come back to the buckle and keep tweaking until it’s straight.
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3. UPS AND DOWNS
If you have really strong rims, abandon all hope. Your wheel may have some up and down movement too. If it’s up to 10mm, depending on the rim, you should be able to remove it. Move the truing jig indicators above and below the wheel and give it a spin. If you have a small up or down movement over a large area, it can be straightened, but if you have a large up or down movement over a small area... then it’s game over. |
4. TAKE AWAY THAT TREMBLE
Give the wheel a spin and identify high and low spots of up and down movement. Mark them on the rim to identify the pair of spokes you’re working on. If your rim moves downwards, tighten both the left and right spokes a quarter turn. If your rim moves upwards, loosen the left and right spokes a quarter turn. Give the wheel another spin and locate any high or low spots. After truing up and down movement, you need to check and true side-to-side movement again.
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5. STRESSED OUT
Remove the wheel from the jig. Lean on it, holding it on either side. Your weight will stretch the spokes, and release any wind-up. Repeat all around the rim at each point where two parallel spokes bisect the rim. Repeat on the other side (the wheel might make a “ping-ping” noise.) Then, pop the wheel into the jig and true it again. Do this a few times and it will need re-truing less often, because you’ll be able to get a more evenly tensioned wheel. If the spokes creak or nipples round off, your wheel is under too much tension. |
6. FINAL CHECKS
With the correct spoke tension, the spokes should feel strong and firm. If yours move under reasonable pressure, you need more tension. Tighten every spoke half a turn, and, if available, compare with a good wheel built by a quality wheel builder. After any tension adjustments, you should repeat steps 1 to 5 again. Any protruding spokes must be cut and filed away smooth, as they could puncture your tubes. Always use good quality rim tape. If you don’t have any, then use two or three layers of insulating tape. |
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Tips
JUST TAKES PATIENCE
Check the condition of your hub, it shouldn’t be loose and it must turn smoothly. Check for broken or damaged spokes and any rim damage, especially around the welds. Also, look for cracks in the braking surface or around the nipples. You need to replace any damaged parts before you start to true the wheel.
One of the most common mistakes is to turn the spoke nipple the wrong way, making the buckle worse. Keep a spoke and nipple next to you to refer to so you get the correct tightening and loosening direction.
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| FITTING A DISC BRAKE . . . |
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1. LEVER AND CALIPER Slide the brake lever onto the bar and nip up the lever bolt. Then feed the brake hose round the front of the fork and through the space between the fork leg and where the wheel will go. Then fit the caliper to the mount/ dropout with three spacing washers (this will need re-adjusting, but three is a good start point). Don’t tighten the bolts up – just screw them in enough to hold the caliper while allowing it to move freely from side to side. |
| 2. FIT THE ROTOR The next stage is to fit the disc rotor onto the hub and tighten the bolts with an allen key – use a drop of threadlock but remember not to get any on the face of the rotor or hub because this could cause the disc to become misaligned. Then fit the back wheel onto the bike without forcing the rotor into the caliper, as this could damage the pads. If you’re running an open brake system, like our Hope discs, don’t pump the lever as this may cause the pads to move together. If this does happen, you’ll need to remove the pads and lever the pistons back into the caliper with a 13mm spanner. |
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3. CENTRE THE CALIPER (and check the rotor for buckling) With the disc rotor fitted, you need to start tightening the caliper onto the mount; add or remove spacing washers to ensure it is aligned over the centre of the rotor. Once the caliper is centred you should now be able to spin the wheel without the disc hitting either the caliper itself or the pads. If you find that the rotor is buckled at this stage, you can straighten it by clamping it in the jaws of an adjustable spanner and bending the rotor slightly. Don’t use mole grips or a tool with knobbly jaws because you could damage the rotor. |
| 4. MAKE IT SHORT Unless you’re running a lot of travel at the front, you’ll probably need to shorten the brake hose. To do this, you need to remove the brake pads from the caliper to prevent contamination from stray brake fluid. (You might want to wear goggles for this bit.) To remove the pads, use an 8mm spanner to loosen the aluminium shroud nut on the caliper, and this will reveal a brass olive. Gently prise the olive open with a small flat-bladed screwdriver and slide the nut and the olive halfway down the hose so that you don’t forget to put them back on later. |
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5. CUT THE HOSE To shorten the hose, cut it 2cm above the point where it joins the caliper; this will ensure you don’t accidentally cut off the barbed connector that sticks out of the caliper and into the hose. You should then use a pair of pliers to pull off the little bit of hose that’s left on the barbed connector; the outer will come off and leave a plastic liner on the connector which you’ll have to cut to remove. Then, with your finger over the open end, cut the hose down to the required length. Use the excess fluid in the off-cut to put a blob of fluid onto the open end of the brake hose and the barbed connector on the caliper – this will prevent any air bubbles getting into the system. |
| 6. NOT TOO HARD To reconnect the hose, you should re-fit the brass olive and shroud nut before checking that all of the connectors between the caliper and lever are tightened – this includes all the unions, washers and shroud nuts. When reconnecting the hose to the disc, it’s important to remember not to squeeze it, as this will damage the hose and cause fluid loss. Make sure the hose is properly secured with zip-ties, and check that your chosen cable routing allows for full suspension travel – you don’t want to stretch the hose and tear it. Finally, pop your pads back in to the caliper and go through the bedding in process with some easy rides. |
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Tips
UPDATE YOUR STOPPERS
Before you start fitting discs, it’s important to check with your bike’s manufacturer/importer as to which discs are designed to work on your bike – there’s nothing worse than having to battle to fit a disc system that isn’t intended to go on your bike. It’s also worth having your disc mount/dropout alignment checked over, and the mountings re-faced by a bike shop.
To prepare the bike for disc fitting, you should clean it and remove the old brake system and wheels. We’d also recommend that you fit hydraulic discs, because cable discs rarely show any improvement over V-brakes.
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| BLEEDING DISC BRAKES . . . |
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1. Getting ready
Arrange your bike at a convenient working height (ideally using a workstand). It’s a good idea to put some old newspaper on the floor to catch any spills. Remove the wheel and take the brake pads out so nothing gets contaminated with oil. Remember that DOT brake fluid is nasty stuff – don’t get it on your hands. |
2. Insert tube
Using an adjustable spanner, remove the top cap from the brake lever and gently screw the M5 bolt into the master piston finger tight. Using the 10mm spanner, undo the bleed nipple and slide on the bleed tube. Direct the tube into a container to collect the fluid. |
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3. Start bleeding
Pull the piston out of the master cylinder using the M5 bolt. Do this slowly and smoothly so you don’t get oil everywhere. Fill the master cylinder with brake fluid and, while opening the bleed nipple, squeeze the brake lever until it reaches the handlebars. Hold the lever at the bars and close the bleed nipple. |
4. Complete bleeding
Repeat step three. Watch the tubing for air bubbles and keep topping up the master cylinder while you’re doing this. This process will have to be repeated about five times to completely fill the system. When there are no more air bubbles flowing down the tube, your brake has been bled. Now you need to fill the master cylinder once more before preparing to remove the tube. |
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5. Finishing off
With the bleed nipple open, gently push the piston back into the cylinder until it’s about 1mm below the top. The last bit of brake fluid will drain out of the bleed tube. Tighten the bleed nipple and remove the tubing. Wipe off any excess oil from the area and replace the brake pads. Dispose of old fluid at your local tip. |
6. Pump the system
Remove the M5 bolt, and screw the top cap back on. Make sure you don’t over tighten it. With both ends of the system closed, refit the wheel to your bike and squeeze the brake lever several times to ‘pump’ the system and centre the pads. Job done. |
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Tip
Oil spills: If you spill brake fluid (or oil) on a hard surface, wiping it up will leave a slippery residue behind. To effectively clean it, simply cover the area in flour and wait for it to absorb the spill. Once soaked, the area can be wiped clean.
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