Questions tagged [repair]
Repairing your bike when something is broken. REPAIR is not the same as MAINTENANCE, a separate tag. Repair is what one does only when something is broken. Maintenance is what one does on a regular basis.
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What do I do when I am unsure if damaged carbon fiber is safe to use or needs replacing or repairing?
Intended as a canonical answer to the many questions we have about damage to carbon parts.
It is well known that carbon fiber parts can be damaged and fail, and carbon parts can be fragile when ...
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How do I determine my wheel size
Would someone explain wheel sizes.
If I am not mistaken, the wheels on my Trek 520 touring bike are 700C. There are no markings, and of course, no documentation of any kind. I assume 700 means 700mm, ...
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How to get a very tight tire back on the rim?
I needed to change the tube as a consequence of a flat tire and I am in the situation that it's just impossible to put the tire back on the rim.
In almost ten years of experience with road bikes and ...
- 1,915
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14
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What are the most important things to bring on a ride?
On one of my recent ride, my bike broke down. My rear derailleur got pushed into the rims and broke. Since I have never gotten stuck like that before, I've never bothered to take anything with me ...
- 2,958
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5
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How to straighten a bent derailleur hanger?
I've bent (again) my derailleur hanger. It's a replaceable hanger but for this summer I can't get an original one and I know that the non-original one I can get is made in a harder material and could ...
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3
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How to fix a stripped pedal crank
The threads on my bike's pedal crank just became fully stripped and the pedal fell off, though the pedal itself is fine. Is there any way I can fix this without fully replacing the pedal crank?
- 603
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Shimano STX rear shifter, broken spring
I have to repair a Shimano STX shifter 7 speed (from a Raleigh MT200 bike from 1995). It has a broken spring, and I am almost sure that is the only thing to be repaired.
It is similar to that ...
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What is a simple mnemonic for remembering the thread direction when removing pedals?
Given that pedal threads are different on the left and right pedals: the right side pedal has a right-hand thread (removes counterclockwise, installs clockwise); the left side pedal has a left-hand ...
- 383
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2
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Reoccurring Bent Axles, any reasons or upgrades?
Earlier this month I had a issue with a broken axle. It was the original that was sold with the bike and lasted around 5,000 miles. I went to my LBS and bought a new axle (unbranded, labeled, etc, ...
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What is the difference between brake cables and derailleur cables?
What is the difference between brake cables and derailleur/shift cables? When I look online for replacement cables I see "brake cables" and "shift cables."
From the images they all look the same.
...
- 1,907
18
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9
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Riding Repair Kit
As most of my riding is limited to intra-city commuting (on bus routes) or on bike paths, I have not really faced a dire need for a repair kit while riding. I am looking into pulling off a three hour ...
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Where is the proper location to measure the tube size?
I need to replace a tube in my bike. I know there are many tire sizes. I bought 26', assuming that my bike was that size, and realized when I got home that I didn't even know where to measure from. ...
- 1,315
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21
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Alternatives to buying a repair stand?
I'd like to buy a repair stand, but I can never seem to convince myself to drop the $100 minimum it seems I'd need to spend. Has anybody had any success building a stand themselves, or is it worth it ...
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Is rubber cement in stationery stores the same as in tire patch kits?
Is the rubber cement that you can buy at the stationery shop:
the same as what's in the little tubes of cement that come with your patch kit:
If not, then exactly what is different? What makes tire ...
- 29.2k
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11
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Patch or replace tube?
Is it worth patching a tube on a mountain bike, or just replace it with a new one?
There are a lot of 1/2" - 3/4" thorns here in Texas, and I use 26 x 1.95 tubes.
Any particular patch type/brand ...
- 881
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Removing a stuck pedal
I'm sure this question must have already been answered somewhere here, but it doesn't show up in any search results I make...
I'm changing the pedals on a 40 year old bike. Pretty sure the pedals are ...
- 1,930
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9
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How to remove a crank arm with stripped threads?
A friend called me up yesterday after a mis-adventure during his attempt at a bottom bracket overhaul. He stripped out the threads on the (left) crank arm while using a Park crank puller. In a pinch, ...
user313
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What is the necessary equipment on longer bike rides?
Let me provide some context to the question. I mostly cycle alone and cover distances in the range from 45 km to 65 km; depending on the route, these rides last from less than 2 hours to well over 4 ...
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What should I do to get an older bike into good condition
I recently bought a hybrid human/electric bicycle at a garage sale, and I've been working on getting it into usable shape again. It is about 10 years old, and needs some work. The battery was quite ...
- 1,315
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Best practice for patching snakebite pinch flats on skinny tubes
So, I tend to run 700x23c or 700x25c tires on my commuter bike. Sometimes I'm lazy and forget to check the air pressure and inevitably get a pinch flat when I hit some stationary object, pothole, or ...
- 18.2k
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Broken rear axle. Why does it happen and is it worth trying to repair?
So I'm taking the time during the holidays to overhaul my commuter bike. The whole drivetrain was full of old oil, road salt and grime so I decided to take the whole thing apart starting with the back ...
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Crank threads stripped - both pedals fell off
Something really strange happened to me - 2 years ago I bought a bike (Carrera Gryphon Hybrid from Halfords). I had just about 100 miles on that bike the month I bought it and than I locked it to a ...
- 171
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How to select cog for emergency single speed conversion with a broken derailleur
I broke the rear derailleur on my surly karate monkey recently. I had the bike setup 2x9. I decided to try and get home by converting to single speed via trail side repair (made easier by the ...
- 18.2k
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What model/make are this Freewheel and Freehub?
I am in the process of overhauling my old Motobécane racing bike and I'd like to replace the freewheel, if reasonable. However, there is no indication of who made it (the bike shop couldn't help) and ...
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What does a "dished" wheel mean? How to tighten spokes on such a wheel, without a spoke tension meter?
Should all the rear wheel spokes have equal tension? Or should
the spokes from the side of the cassette be tighter, in order to skew to wheel in that direction, and the wheel to be centered in the ...
- 13.7k
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10
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Do glueless tube patches work as well as glue ones?
Quite a few years ago I tried some glueless patches for repairing my punctured tubes while out on the road, and found that they rarely stayed on for very long. I know that technology has advanced a ...
- 6,233
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How many years an aluminium frame lasts in a touring bike?
How long does an aluminium frame lasts in a touring bike?
[Removed extra questions to be clear.]
Background
So far I preferred aluminium vs. steel for many reasons, but if steel lasts significantly ...
- 1,358
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2
answers
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Chain slipping off derailleur jockey
Last week, I had to abandon a training ride due to my chain slipping off my rear derailleur jockey wheel. This would only happen when shifting, and most often when either shifting chainrings or ...
- 8,559
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How can I tell a bike is safe after a crash?
I was recently in an accident where a car pulled out on me. I hit the car around the front wheel and me and the bike went over the bonnet and landed on the road, the other side of the car. I was ...
- 1,263
14
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3
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Deformed/uneven/bumpy wheel/tire/tube, how to diagnose or repair?
My bike has a deformation in the rear wheel, almost surely not due to the rim.
At some point the tire has a "valley", causing it to bump instead of rolling smoothly. I'd like to understand ...
- 523
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7
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brake lever will not return
My friend has a mountain bike that survived last years Queensland's floods (Australia, that is), but is all battered and bruised after not being ridden for a year. With my beginner's repair skills, I ...
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Are bicycle helmets repairable or disposable?
Suppose I wear a bicycle helmet, and I fall hard and my helmet cracks. Do I buy a new helmet or can I try repair the old one with some glue?
- 1,204
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How can I learn to take care of an old (70s era) road bike/get it back to working condition?
I found my mom's old road bike from the 70s tucked away in a corner of our attic. It's not in great condition and is pretty rusty. I don't know a lot about bikes from a mechanical or upkeep point of ...
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Is it possible to repair a dent on an aluminium frame?
I have Centurion Cyclo Cross 4000 bike. Recently I got into an accident with a car door. As a result I have a significant dent on my frame(see the photos below).
I have two questions:
Is it possible ...
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What tool should I be using on this bottom bracket?
Belongs to a fairly basic kids bike. Bought second hand and was able to remove it using almost my fingers alone, with a little assistance from a flat head screwdriver.
After replacing the bearings, ...
- 193
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Is my derailleur hanger too bent?
I bent the (steel) derailleur hanger on my 9spd cassetted (steel) Bianchi Volpe about 1.5 yrs ago, and I just did it again, but worse. This time the derailleur got sucked into the wheel and really did ...
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How to Patch a Bike Tube?
Related (but more general): What steps should I follow to patch a
tube?
I have done this more than a hundred times, but am still not sure what are the correct steps.
Here they show to put glue on ...
- 13.7k
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What are the most common causes for hysteresis in the rear derailler?
I have often seen derailleurs on cheap MTBs to degrade in performance by showing hysteresis. By that I mean that to switch to a certain cog, one needs to shift one cog further and then immediately one ...
- 13.7k
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Bending back a bent head tube - is it worth trying?
I have a bike that was in a major front end collision (I T-boned a car). The frame is steel and the bike bent at the head tube, the welds seem to be fine. Pictures below.
I am fully aware the ...
user21245
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How long will this alum frame last?
I picked up this very cool 96-97 GT rage from Craigslist with the intention of restoration- a few rusty pinch bolts, spider eggs in the brake hoods, grinding bearings and pitted races, and all the ...
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How to replace a tube with only one quick stick?
So what is the correct number of quick sticks to swiftly change the tube? I had always thought that the answer is of course 2, but :
I can do it twice as fast with one Quik Stick as you can with a
...
- 13.7k
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What caused this seat clamp / frame failure?
Here's my "long distance" ride, which is an old steel MTB without suspension.
I picked it up by the saddle to move it and felt some play, I thought the saddle rails might have been loose, ...
- 124k
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Fix a wobbly Shimano freehub?
I have a brand new Shimano Ultegra WH-6800 rear wheel. The freehub has about 2mm of play in it. I can feel the play without the cassette installed by grabbing the freehub body and moving it. It moves ...
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Failing to unscrew BB - what now?
I have an external bearing BB, that I need replaced (It is quite badly rusted). I opt to do the repair myself. The bike is a Specialized Hardrock, the crank arms are SR Suntour.
Having removed the ...
- 13.7k
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2
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Can this damage to my brake mounts be repaired?
So, I tried to take some brakes off of a bicycle to change my old-style callipers with V-brakes; the results were not good.
One of the "heads" or "lugs" was so caught in brake itself that I managed ...
- 1,445
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1
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Twist shifter cannot shift down – what might be the cause?
My son's bike is stuck on 7. When we try to shift down to 1, there are no clicks. It just shoots right back to 7. This is a dial/twist/grip shifter, not a trigger shifter. I do not think it has ...
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1
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Yet another stuck BB. Help me save my frame!
So I have two bikes and a year ago I went through the challenge of unscrewing a stuck BB. The solution was to put the tool in a vice and twist the frame around it.
Today I have an even more difficult ...
- 13.7k
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8
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Clicking sound on each rotation of the pedals only when riding
Let me prefix this by saying that I don't know much about bikes. Especially from the terminology perspective.
When riding, I can hear a relatively quiet click when I push down on the pedals. It ...
- 111
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answer
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Restoration and upgrading old bike
I have an old Huffy from my uncle that he bought at around the 90s and I'm thinking of restoring it and maybe upgrade some of the parts. But Huffy doesn't seem to have any much information for bikes ...
- 1
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Can I ride home with a broken spoke?
I noticed a wobble in my back wheel while commuting in this morning. Broken spoke. Is this a problem that I should take care of before my 7 mile commute home, or can I pick up a spoke and repair it at ...
- 1,233