Basic Bike Repair & Maintenance

Caring for your bicycle: basic maintenance and service with Bike & Saddle

Keep it clean
Keep it smooth

Equipment:

1.  Bike Stand
2.  Bucket
3.  Degreaser (Non-Corrosive)
4.  Strong, soft brush
5.  Lube

On a stand, wet the bike with your brush.
With a cup of undiluted degreaser in your bucket, wash the drivetrain.
Now, fill the bucket ½ way with water, diluting the degreaser. Wash the rest of the bike – including the tyres and handlebar – with this mixture using your brush.
When finished, refill the bucket with clean water.  Rinse the whole bike off using the same soft brush. (Sorry, no pressure cleaners, hose pipes or easy ways out.)
Leave the bike to bike to dry completely.
Once dry, lube the chain.  Only the chain needs lube.  The other bits and pieces will get all the lube they need when the bike is due for a service.
If you like, you may polish that shining paintwork a little more using a soft rag.

You are now ready to take your clients for a dip in the mud.

PREPARATION FOR SERVICE

Equipment:

1.  Bike Stand
2.  Some rags
3.  Star and flat screw drivers (medium)
4.  Allen key set
5.  Spoke key
6.  Chain tool
7.  8, 9, 10 and 15 mm wrench
8.  Light waterproof grease
 
Put your bike in the work stand.  Shift it to the small blade in front and the small gear at the back. Now, remove both wheels.
With your rag, clean the drop outs of the frame and fork.  
Inspect the wheels: turn the axles to see that they move freely and have no play.  Make sure that all the spokes have enough tension.  Check that the tyres are not worn or have damage that would cause punctures later on.  
Now back to the bike.  Check the brake pads and replace when the lining becomes too thin.  
Wiggle the pedals, cranks and fork around to feel if there is any play or roughness.  If so, these will have to be serviced or replaced.  
Unhook the gear housing by pulling one end out of the frame stop. Once the cable is loose, wipe it with a clean rag and slide the housings upwards and downwards to clear away any dirt stuck inside.  Lube the cable a little and return to their correct position.  
Fit the wheels back into the bike.  Remove it from the bike stand and place it squarely on the ground.  Holding the bike upright, loosen the quick release of the front wheel and make sure that it is in the center of the drop outs.  Re tighten.  Do the same with the rear wheel.  Return the bike to the stand.  (Always follow this procedure before doing any brake or gear adjustments.)
Once in the stand, check that all bolts and nuts are properly tightened.  
Using your spoke key, do any minor adjustments to the wheel alignment if necessary.  
Adjust the brakes and gears.  (Instructions to follow.)

ADJUST GEARS AND BRAKES

Equipment

1.  Stand

2.  Bike Small pliers

3.  9 and 10mm wrench

4.  Allen key set

5.  Small star screw driver

REAR GEARS

Select the small chain ring in front and the small gear at the back.
Check the limit adjustments by pushing the rear derailleur towards the wheel, making sure it does not over shift into the spokes. If this happens, tighten the bottom limit screw a little at a time until the rear derailleur stops at the correct point.  Same goes for the bottom limit.  The chain should line up perfectly with the small sprocket.  
Once the limit screws are adjusted, you can use the small tension wheel on the rear derailleur to tighten or loosen cable tension to ensure accurate shifting between the gears.  Do not undo the tension wheel more than 4 or 5 turns.  If this happens, turn it all the way in again and take up the cable tension by loosening the Allen key pinch bolt and pulling it tight with your small pliers.  
Shift up and down through the gears a couple of times to make sure that all the adjustments are done properly.

FRONT GEARS

Shift to the small ring in the front and the big gear at the back.
In this position, the chain should run parallel and 1mm away from the inside of the front derailleur cage.  If necessary, adjust the angle of the front derailleur and use the limit screw to correct its position.  
Shift to the small gear at the back and the big ring in the front. There should only be 1mm space between the big ring and the bottom of the front derailleur cage.  
When the gears are in this position, the chain should not be touching the outside of the front derailleur.  If so, you can use the outer limit screw and cable tension to do the necessary adjustments.  
Shift to the small ring in the front again.  Shift to one of the middle gears at the back. Cycle the front derailleur up and down checking for proper adjustment.  The chain must not fall off on the in or outside.  Use limit screws if this happens.  The cable tension adjuster is located on the lets hand shifter.
           
FRONT AND REAR BRAKES

As the bikes have disc brakes, they will not often need adjustment.  When you pick up the bike and spin the wheel, it should rotate freely.  It might happen that you hear a slight noise from the brake rotor when the bike is used.  This is normal.  You only need to worry about it if the wheels do not turn freely.
With the bike in the work stand, loosen the bolts holding the front brake caliper in position by 1 ½ turns.  The caliper will now be able to move freely.  Pull the front brake firmly and hold it in position.  Re tighten the caliper.  It should now be perfectly centered.  If the brake pads are still touching the rotor, check that the rotor is not bent.  One can try to re-align the rotor by loosening and re tightening the rotor bolts a little.
wheel. Repeat procedure with the rear wheel.  

Once this basic service is complete, it is well worth taking the bike for a test ride.  Use all the gears and brake hard a couple of times.  Pay attention to any creaks, rattles and squeaks as these often point to addition service that may be necessary.  

SPARE PARTS

The following are bits and pieces worth keeping at hand.  Most of these are easy to fit and require only basic technical skills.

1.    Tubes

2.    Tyres

3.    Chains and links

4.    Grips

5.    Front and rear Quick Release

6.    Brake pads

7.    Gear cable and housing (cable ends and ferrules)

Other parts that will occasionally have to be replaced due to wear and tear are listed below. These require specialized tools and some mechanical experience.

1.    Bottom bracket

2.    Headset

3.    Cassette

4.    Brake bleeding

5.    Components like shifters and derailleurs