Bicycle Repair Clinics

FREE at Velotique By Saul
Saturday Mornings May & June 2009

Mechanical self-sufficiency is the goal of our free bicycle repair clinics. We cover everything from repairing flats, cleaning and lubricating, gear adjustment to more advanced topics such as wheel truing and bottom bracket overhauls. You are welcome to attend one or both clinics. Space is limited, so register in advance online by phone, mail, or drop by to secure your space at the clinic. Each clinic lasts one and a half hours and starts at 9:00am sharp on Saturday mornings

Schedule TBA 2009

Tired

What You Need

• Spare inner tube, Patch kit, Tire levers
• tools to remove wheels if not quick release
• Pump and pressure gauge
• Books: Richards' Repair Manual, Complete Guide to Maintenance and Repair

Daily Tire Check

• Check Tread & Sidewalls, worn-out, cuts, cracks, embedded glass, seating on rim
• Air Pressure, underinflated, overinflated
• Valve, aligned in rim, bent, leaky

Fix a Flat

• Remove wheel from frame.
• Use tire levers to ease tire bead off of rim, one bead at a time. Start on opposite side of valve. Gently hook lever under bead, making sure not to catch inner tube and flip over rim.
• Hold bead open with one lever as you work your way around the tire a little at a time with the second lever.
• Once one bead is completely off the rim you can remove the inner tube.
• Unscrew valve cap and the valve nut if present. Push valve out of rim and into tire. Remove inner tube from the tire.
• Find leak in tube. Pump some air into the tube as you listen for hiss of leaking air. Or immerse the tube under water to look for telltale air bubbles escaping from the puncture.

Find the Cause

• Closely inspect the puncture and surrounding area to determine the cause.
• Is it a single pin hole or cut from glass or a thorn. Is it a double puncture or snakebite from an underinflated tire bottoming out on the rim.
• Inspect the rim strip for exposed spokes. Replace if necessary. Inspect the inside of the tire for embedded glass or metal and remove if present.

Patch or Replace

• Dry and clean the area to be patched.
• Apply patch according to instructions on package.
• Make the tube easy to handle. Inflate the inner tube just enough to take the limpness out.
• Insert valve into rim hole. Insert the tube into the tire.
• Squeeze the sidewalls around the tire to seat the tube on the rim and in the tire.
• Push the valve up as you seat the tire bead on either side of the valve to prevent pinching the valve seat.
• Using your hands work the tire bead into the rim. Work your way around the tire from the valve outward. You should be left with a stubborn section of bead opposite the valve that is difficult to coax onto the rim.
• Make sure the tube is centred on the rim and not pinched between the tire and rim sidewall. Use your thumbs to ease the bead onto the rim.
• If you must, use two tire levers, but be careful not to catch the tube and pinch it. Make sure the tube is properly seated by squeezing the tires side walls with your hands as you work your way around the wheel.
• Slowly inflate the tire to the required pressure with a high quality hand pump and pressure gauge.

Chain of Events

What you need

• chain cleaner: Finishline chain cleaner kit
• lube: dry Finishline teflon, Pedros, wet Finishline xc, Phil tenacious oil
• degreaser: Finishline citrus
• gear cleaner: Finishline gear cleaner/declogger kit
• chain tool: Park, Rivoli, or multitool
• Park Chainwear Gauge
• Hyperglide Pin
• Allan Keys
• Screwdrivers
• Books: Richards' Repair Manual, Complete Guide to Maintenance and Repair

Chain and Gear Cleaning

• monthly or as needed: Finishline chain cleaner, gear cleaner/declogger kit degrease, brush, dry and lube (oil)
• Check for chain wear using Park chainwear gauge.
• Worn or stretched chains skip.
• Lube: Use the right oil for your riding conditions. Dry lubes like Finishline teflon or Pedro's Synlube are clean and grunge-free, but are not recommended in wet or rainy conditions. Wet lubes, like Finishline Cross-country and Phils Tenacious Oil, remain liquidy and protect your chain even in wet or rainy conditions. They do leave a gummy residue on your chain.
• chain repair: Can you do it?
  Hyper glide pins should never be re-inserted. Always replace with a new pin. Align chain rivet extractor tool. Turn lever to push out pin. Unscrew tool and remove. Flex chain sideways to break apart. To reassemble, align ends of chain together and insert pointy end of hyperglide replacement pin. Use tool to press pin into place and break off pointy end. Gently flex chain sideways to free up stiff link.

Gear Usage

Optimal Cadence (RPM). Shift gears as terrain varies to maintain a pedalling cadence of 60-90 rpm. Select gear to maintain optimal cadence. Don't shift under load. Lighten pedal pressure as you shift. Anticipate hills and shift just before you have to.

Gear Setup

check daily

• limit screws: prevent chain dump, maintain access to all gears
• set index: Shift to smallest rear cog, click shifter to first position up. Adjust derailleur barrel for a smooth shift. Test all other gears and adjust for quietest operation.
• front derailleur: adjust for proper chainline and no rub as you shift your rear.

Gear Combos to Avoid

• big chainring + big cog or small chainring + small cog

Wheels of Fortune

What You Need

• Spoke Wrench: Park Spoke Wrench (right size), Park
• Triple Spoke Wrench
• Wheel Truing Stand: Park Truing Stand, Port-A-True
• Spokes: replacement spokes to match your wheel,
• kevlar emergency spoke
• Nipples: to match spokes
• Spoke Gauge: ruler, or Park SBC-1
• Books: The Wheel Book, Richards' Repair Manual, Complete Guide to Maintenance and Repair

Daily Wheel Check

• Spin wheels to check for any visible wobbles.
• Check wheel bearings for play by gently pushing rim side to side.
• Inspect rims for signs of excess wear, dents or cracks.
• Test for brake shudder by riding and braking.

Round and Even to Win the Race

Lateral — centre rim

There are only two types of spokes. Spokes that are anchored on the right flange of the hub and ones that are on the left. Each spoke pulls the rim to the right or left depending on which flange it is anchored to. Right side spoke pull the rim to the right when tightened. Using a wheel truing stand find the most out of true section of the wheel and adjust right and left pulling spokes in that area of the rim a little at a time to reduce the lateral deformity.

Radial — roundness

To move the rim closer or farther from the hub adjust pairs of right/left spokes the same amount. Find the area of greatest radial deformity using a wheel truing stand. Tighten the pair of right/left spokes at the peak of the area in question to bring it closer to the hub or loosen to bring the rim farther from the hub.

Adjust Spokes

• Adjust a small amount at a time. 1/4 turn
• Adjust over a larger area by evening the tension with adjacent spokes.
• Adjust evenly. You can move the rim by tightening or loosening spoke nipples.
• Check for even spoke tension. All spokes must share the load equally.
• Check for protruding spokes end in the rim. They cause punctures.
• Check for long spokes. Nipples tightened beyond the thread can cause spokes to break.

Stress Relief

• Wheels do not need to be broken in.
• Relieve tension by back winding nipples 1/4 turn and re-tighten.
• Pull parallel spoke firmly with thumb and index finger to seat spoke heads and set the bend at the hub flange.
• Start from the area of greatest deformity and work towards the lesser deformities.
• Deal with one wobble at a time.

Them's the Brakes

What You Need

• Allen Keys: Bondhaus ball-end wrench set, or other assorted wrenches
• Screw Drivers: to fit
• Cable Cutters: Park Cable Cutter now cuts inner and outer plus crimps ends
• Extra Hands: Park Locking 4th Hand
• Cables: replacement inner cables, replacement outer cables, cable ends, cable ferrules
• Brake Pads
• Grease: Finishline, Pedro's or Phil
• Books: Richards' Repair Manual, Complete Guide to Maintenance and Repair

Daily Brake Check

• Before you ride Squeeze Test brake levers. Lift bike wheel off ground and spin it by hand. Wheels should spin freely without rubbing on brake pads. Squeeze brake lever. Wheel should stop. Pads should contact the middle of the rim and not the tire. When the lever is released the pads should snap back to allow the wheel to spin freely again.
• Check lever operation, bottoming out and handlebar mounting.
• Check pad wear, pad shape, amount of pad left and dirt embedded in pad.
• Check pad alignment, toe in, alignment to rim and tire contact, centre on rim.
• Check cable adjustment, cable tightness, lever doesn't bottom out and can you get your hand completely around lever.
• Check cable routing, cables in frame bosses, frayed cables and extra room for adjusters.
• Ride test your bike's stopping power.
• Noisey? Check toe in and rim surface.
• Smoothness? Check cable adjustment, rim surface, pad condition and wheel trueness.
• Wheel Lockup? Check cable adjustment, pads and rims.

Annual Maintenance

Pad Maintenance

• Inspect old pads for uneven wear and embedded debris. Use coarse sandpaper or a sharp knife to flatten pad surface and eliminate embedded grit.
• Replace worn or questionable pads.

Cable Replacement

• Close brakes pads against rim and hold with third hand.
• Undo brake cable anchor bolts on callipers.
• Cut off crimp ends.
• Push cables in towards levers and pull cable out from levers.
• Examine outer cables and replace if necessary.
• Feed new cable trough lever.
• Grease cable and fish through housings and frame bosses.
• Pull cable tight (4th hand), anchor cable on calliper, crimp ends.
• Release brake pads, test and adjust cable for best performance.

Get Your Bearing

What you need

• Headset Wrenches: 2 Park Headset wrenches (your size)
• Bottom Bracket Socket: Park BB socket wrench individual (your size) or universal
• Crank Extractor: Park universal crank extractor
• Cup Wrenches: Park Green and Blue Pin wrenches or Sugino BB kit
• Bearings: replacement loose or retained ball bearings
• Grease: Finishline, Pedro's or Phil
• Degreaser: Finishline citrus, Pedro's biodegreaser
• Books: Richards' Repair Manual, Complete Guide to Maintenance and Repair

Parts

• Headset Regular: adjustable cup and lockring , bearings
• Aheadset: locking cap, bearings
• Bottom Bracket: fixed cup, adjustable cup, lockring, spindle, bolts, bearings
• Cartridge BB: cartridge

Headset

• check adjustment for play by turning front wheel 90¡, lock the front wheel brake, push bike forward and backwards, put a finger on the headset and frame and check for play unlock cup, tighten, lock cups then retest for play
• Aheadset unlock handlebar stem, tighten adjusting cap with Allen key, tighten stem, retest

Bottom Bracket

• check adjustment for play by pushing crank arm towards and then away from chainstay
• To adjust remove right crank arm, remove crank bolt with socket wrench, remove crankarm with universal crank puller, unlock lockring by unwedging it from adjustable cup using two pin wrenches, tighten adjustable cup, lock lockring, test for play, install crankarm and tighten bolt.

Maintenance

Daily

• check for play in headset and bottom bracket, adjust if necessary

Annually

• clean and repack bearing