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EXTRAS
Bike maintenance
Hello everyone I’m Kevin Sawicki. I’m a former bicycle technician on the Bike Northwoods Tour (formerly the Northwoods to Capitol Tour), as well as most other major road tours in Wisconsin. Over the course of a summer, I along with our crew, literally service thousands of bicycles. I find that many of the problems we service during a tour, could easily be avoided or taken care of as regular maintenance. The well-prepared and knowledgeable cyclist shouldn’t have to worry about most of the roadside breakdowns that I commonly encounter. Through this column, I would like to address some the more common mechanical problems, their causes and their remedies.
Being prepared starts before every ride. Just like a pilot, a bicycle rider should inspect his/her machine before each and every departure. A simple, but comprehensive pre-ride inspection will keep you in touch with how your bicycle is functioning and how much wear it is sustaining. Every bicycle sustains wear and tear if it is being ridden. Your tires, brake pads, and the drive train all have a finite life span. If you monitor these components as well as adhere to a maintenance schedule for the serviceable components like hubs, bottom brackets and headsets, (many of these components may be non-serviceable requiring periodic replacement) you should be able to enjoy many miles of worry free cycling. In this article, I will primarily discuss how to inspect your bicycle. I may also include a few quick adjustment tips, but for the majority of the article I will focus on the inspection itself.
FRONT END OF YOUR BIKE
I always recommend that you have a methodical approach to inspections and service procedures. Develop a system that works for you allowing you to be thorough and consistent.
Brakes
The pre-ride inspection that I show to my customers begins with the front of the bike. I grab the front brake, and give it a few squeezes. Does the brake open and close freely? If not maybe the cable needs lubrication or the caliper needs adjustment. First look closely at the caliper and observe whether both sides of the caliper are closing equally. Secondly, look to see whether in the open position, if the brake pads are at an equal distance from the rim. Thirdly, spin the wheel and check the wheel for trueness, which will be relative to how the brakes are set. Make sure that the brake is set for the wheel to be centered in the fork. (Or when inspecting the rear brake, the wheel should be centered in-between the seat stays). If the wheel is out of true or does not sit centered in either the frame or fork, then true the wheel or have it trued by a professional. If after the wheel is true but still doesn’t sit centered in the frame or fork you will need to inspect the wheel itself. This inspection may be best if done by an experienced bike mechanic since, the mechanic will have make sure that your wheel is properly dished and that your wheel dropouts are in alignment. If the brake pads are not an equal distance from the rim, most brakes will have some sort of centering feature.
Side Pull Brakes - Old road brakes (side pull) may have flats on the piece that holds the brake spring to the center bolt, which can be turned with the appropriate cone wrench. Turning the brakes center bolt will cause the brakes to pivot on the axel. This is one method to center a side pull brake. Ask your local bike shop to help you purchase the proper wrench for your bike.
Dual Pivot Brakes - More modern road brakes (sometimes referred to as dual pivot) usually have a screw (either an Allen or Phillips head screw) on the top right side of the brake caliper. By tightening or loosening this screw, you change the spring tension of the caliper. Turning the screw should give you a couple of millimeters of adjustability in either direction, tighten or loosen the screw until the rim is centered between your brake pads. If this screw does not provide noticeable results, you should have the brake looked at by your mechanic. Your road brakes may require a more, thorough brake adjustment.
Headsets
Sometime during the inspection of the front of the bicycle, check the headset. The headset is the set of bearings that allow the fork to turn independently from the frame. Pick the front wheel off the ground (about and inch or so) and turn the handle bars with a very light touch. The handle bars should turn freely and not come to a rest in the same position every time. If the handlebar appears to be stiff when you turn them or if it stops in the same position, then the headset is too tight and needs adjustment. If the headset appears to turn freely, then gently dropping the tire to the ground and listening for any vibrations that would be caused by a loose headset. It is also very important to check the front wheel quick release or axel bolts to make sure that you have secured the wheel properly. A loose wheel will often feel like a loose headset! If you think the headset may be loose, then apply the front brake with the wheel on the ground and gently rock the bike back and forth. If you can feel it knock as you rock the bike back and forth, then your headset is probably loose and needs adjustment. Now that you have inspected your brake and headset, let’s finish the front inspection with the wheel and tire.
Tire Inspection
Tire inspection includes not only checking pressure, but also a visual inspection of the tread and sidewall. Look for large cuts and punctures on the tread of the tire. If there are cuts present check each one to make sure there is no debris remaining in the cut and make sure the cut has not severed the threads that make-up the tires casing.
Booting - If the casing is cut, the tire may need to be replaced. If this problem occurs during your ride the tire may need to be booted. This means that you need to install a barrier between the tire and tube to prevent the tube from blowing out of the cut. This booting, can be a tire patch of a piece of rubber or plastic, or if nothing else is available you can use a folded up dollar bill. Inspect the tread for wear, most tires start out round on top, as the tire wears it becomes flat, the flatter it becomes the less rubber that is left on the tire, this could result in more frequent flats and loss of cornering ability.
Sidewall - When you look at the sidewall of your tire, you will want to check the condition of the tire casing threads. These threads are usually visible beneath a thin coating of rubber. If the rubber coating appears to be dry rotted and the threads are becoming exposed the tire is due for replacement soon. If the tire casing threads are frayed, then this tire is dangerous to ride on and should be replaced immediately! Improperly adjusted brake pads may also wear out the sidewalls of the tire. If the brake pad continually comes in contact with the tire, it will cause damage to the sidewall that will eventually result in a catastrophic failure, i.e. a blow out. Do not ride on tires with damaged sidewalls! Check your tire pressure with an appropriate gauge for your tire valve (Presta or Schroeder) and inflate it to the pressure indicated on the sidewall of the tire. Or if you don’t have a gauge available, squeeze the tire between your fingers, to make sure that the tire is good and hard. However, the accuracy of a tire gauge is definitely the most preferable.
Front Hub
Finish your inspection of the front end of your bicycle, by inspecting the front hub. Check here for looseness. Try to move the wheel from side to side. If you can feel any lateral movement in the wheel, then the hub is probably loose and needs adjustment. The best way to tell if a hub is too tight is to remove the wheel and to turn the axel with your fingers. The axel should turn freely and you should not feel any grinding or a “gravelly feeling”. A properly adjusted hub usually does not become tighter over time. Therefore, taking the wheels off your bike each time you ride is not necessary. It is usually enough before you ride, to just spin the wheel making sure that it spins freely and is not loose. However, if you have an opportunity when the wheels are off the bike, then take the time to inspect the hubs more thoroughly.
BACK-END OF YOUR BIKE
Now that you’re finished with the front of the bicycle, it is time for you to check the back-end, in the same general manner as I described above (for the front end).
Check the rear tire, brakes, wheel, and hub. Remember that the hub is a part of the wheel, so it is important that you don’t forget to check the rear hub.
Bottom Bracket
The last major component to inspect is your bicycle’s bottom bracket. This is the main component, which contains the bearings that the crank turns on. Just like with the wheel hubs, check for any lateral or side ways play. Grab each crank arm and try to move the crank arms from side to side. If the crank arms move from side to side your bottom bracket is probably loose and needs adjustment or replacement. Finally, a quick inspection for the bottom bracket is to determine if the bottom bracket is too tight or excessively worn. With the chain removed from the chain rings, gently turn the crank. Similar to the front hubs the crank should turn free and smooth. If the crank doesn’t turn freely or if you think the bottom bracket doesn’t feel smooth the crank may need to be removed for further inspection. Removing the crank takes special tools. If you don’t have these tools available you’ll probably have to have this repair done at your local bike shop.
Congratulations!
You have now inspected all the major bicycle components that are subject to the most wear and tear. While conducting these inspections, it is important that you should notice the general condition of your bike. Look for frayed cables, broken cable housing, and a dry chain, and make sure that your handlebars and saddle are straight and tight. Last but not least, make sure you keep your bike clean and free of excessive grease and grime. You should now enjoy the piece of mind that comes with knowing that your bicycle is ready for anything you are, and maybe more.
Happy pedaling,
Kevin
Kevin would love to hear about any questions you might have about bikes and/or their repair. You can email him at abikefixer@hotmail.com
