Questions tagged [maintenance]
Tools, parts, techniques, and procedures to keep your bike in working order. MAINTENANCE is not the same as REPAIR, a separate tag. Maintenance is what one does on a regular basis. Repair is what one does only when something is broken.
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How do you put a bicycle chain back together? [closed]
Bit of a homework question, I admit, but it's not straightforward.
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Does the rear gear hub on a 6 speed Brompton needs regular servicing? How do I know when it needs replacing?
I got my Brompton second hand. I believe it was originally manufactured in 2011 and I strongly suspect it's never been properly serviced - most teeth are pretty worn and the chain is sitting on circa ...
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1
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Shimano Nexus 8-speed gear unstable on hills. Struggling to calibrate
I have Shimano Nexus 8-speed internal gears on my bike. They have a subtle problem that has been getting worse over time. Any time the pedals are turning with some resistance on a hill, the gears keep ...
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How to remove the lock lever on a 2020 Suntour NEX suspension fork?
The locking on that fork is no longer working in that in locked position, the fork is as unstiff as when not.
On other models, I've been able to remove that blue lever and tighten things underneath ...
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2
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What size replacement brake pads for the Brompton?
What size brake pads are needed to replace the brake pads on a Brompton bicycle?
The brake pads on my Brompton bicycle are getting thin, and I would like to buy a replacement pair. There is no ...
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4
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V-brakes rubbing on wheel
I have been given a bike which is in good order, except that the brakes are rubbing against the wheel. I have fiddled about with it but I can't adjust it effectively.
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Is there a quick and reliable way to identify hydraulic brake fluid?
I recently saw a Shimano hydraulic disk brake system that was about to be bled with yellow oil in it (Shimano's mineral oil is red). Most likely it was third party mineral oil like Finish Line's ...
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Do we need to repeat the bed-in process for disk brakes after replacing only the pads?
I know that we need to go through the bed-in process when installing a new disk, but what about when changing only the pads?
Technically, the surface of the disk has already been prepared with the ...
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Is there a way to wrap bullhorn handlebars to avoid unwinding both in the center and on the sides?
My handlebar tape keeps looking messy because of an incorrect direction, and I can't find an obvious solution to it. Maybe someone can advise?
The direction of the wrap for handlbar tape should be ...
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Are small, portable medium-pressure washers susceptible to damaging some components when washing a bike (like with high-pressure washers)?
There are now on the market small, portable pressure washers meant for outdoor sports. Those are typically powered by batteries and have a water tank, to be used without a water supply and electricity....
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How to avoid and anticipate breaking handlebars
Recently while commuting my road bike (drop bar) handlebars split in half at the stem while I was riding. I took a spill but was luckily mostly unhurt. However, this was the second time this had ...
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Grinding and resistance from front wheel
So I've been riding my Nishiki Manitoba for a bit over 400 miles. I stopped riding consistently when I started to feel resistance and a rough grinding feeling and noise from the front wheel. I have ...
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How do you clean cycling glasses effectively?
I've been using three-part cycling glasses for a couple of years.
That's a frame, separate plastic insert in front for colour, and a small inset frame in behind for prescription lenses.
What's the ...
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How to remove this Suntour Q-Loc thru axle front wheel? It does not go downwards when axis is removed
I need to remove the wheel to replace the tire. I was surprised that there are no dropouts, so I cannot just pull the wheel out as I did for my rear wheel. The lever can be released, the axis can be ...
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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, ...
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How to tighten chain on Kalkhoff Image 5.B Season
I have a Kalkhoff Image 5.b Season (with coaster brake) which was in need of having its chain replaced. Having moved within the last year I have been using this bike as my main way of getting to work ...
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Shimano BR-M395 hydraulic brake pads keep rubbing
I've replaced the brake pads of my bike, Shimano BR-M395 with some BS03S (there were originally BS01S, but I have been told they are identical), but the new pads just keep on rubbing.
I've even taken ...
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Slipping feeling (too smooth for chain skip) after shifting into the big ring
I have an old bike to get me from the station to work and back at the far end of my commute. It was never up to much, but anything good would be stolen in no time as well as degrading from being ...
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Will all chain wear tools work on any chain regardless of 9/10/11speed etc?
I have gotten a hold of a BBB chain wear tool to check my KMC x10sp chain. It seems to indicate I am at least at 75% wear. The chain checker does not have a serial or model number I can use to get ...
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U.S. source for Alfine 11 oil for oil changes?
Yesterday I changed the oil in my Alfine 11-speed hub. I bought the 50ml bottle of SG-S700 from an eBay seller in Florida, the last one in the site's search results originating from the United States. ...
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Old Bike with presta valve missing the cap and the plunger is gone
I want to get into biking into the local forest preserve, so I want to inflate my Uncle's old bike. The front tire has the core but has likely been missing the cap and the portion that you push in to ...
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3
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Something feels like brake rub but isn't brake rub
I brought my road bike on a flight last week and after I put it back together I immediately noticed it felt slow and muddy. It felt like I had brake rub or a mushy back tire. I'd say it feels about ...
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How should I handle a broken bearing cup on a vintage ten speed?
It is a 1978 Schwinn Traveler 3, original "Normandy" rear hub (reads Schwinn 'Approved' 36-78 Made in France).
The bearing cup has broken into four pieces that fell out. I just stuck them ...
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Three-way hex driver that I can lock to something?
I know this looks like I'm asking for a product recommendation, but if there's an answer it is unambiguous and non-obvious, so I think it fits within the spirit of SE.
I want to chain up a three-way ...
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Is a wound cable too much for the "cable **and** housing cutter"?
This is a sequel to an earlier question.
Park Tool's CN-10 (and similar, such as Pro's Team Cable Cutter, Jagwire's Pro Cable Crimper and Cutter, Pedro's Cable and Housing Cutter, Feedback Sports' ...
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2
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Montague FIT folding bike with “snaking” frame
My 2012 Montague FIT folding bike has started to “snake” especially when riding at speed downhill. I have tightened the frame quick release and inspected and tightened the pivot nut but the snaking ...
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2
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The bicycle has Shimano M7100 chain and Shimano M6100 cassette. Should I buy M7100 cassette instead for replacement?
As per shop specs, this bicycle has Shimano XT M7100 chain (and this is printed on the chain so is true) and Shimano M6100 cassette. But there is M7100 cassette available on the market that even does ...
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Wear-based maintenance/overhaul of air spring suspension fork
Assuming usage as a mountain bike, an air spring suspension fork on a hardtail is to be maintained every 50 hours of riding.
By comparison it's sufficient, and plenty reasonable, to replace a chain ...
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Bike shop did too much work on my bike - do I need to pick it up?
A month ago I bought a 90s Trek road bike for $100 off of Craigslist. It was my size but it had sat outside untouched for over a year so I took it to my local bike shop for a tune-up. I was expecting ...
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Could the spindle of a pedal have just one set of bearings, not two?
Pedals can be cleaned with a solvent and an air compressor without removing the races from the spindle.
How is that possible? It would seem that there must be a second set of bearings—one that's only ...
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How long would a worn cassette take to wear out a new chain?
I changed my chain and I should have done it earlier (it seemed to be such a short time). I was stupid enough to do it at the last possible moment. Now it skips. How long does it take before the chain ...
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How to clamp an e-bike on a repair stand?
When doing maintenance on a bike, it's common in tutorials that the bike is clamped to the seat post, and not the top tube. I understood that the reason is top tube may not be designed to resist ...
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As an enthusiast, how can I make a bicycle more reliable/less maintenance-intensive for use by a casual cyclist?
The details of this question may end up being quite specific to my exact circumstances, but I think the information presented in the answers will still be usable and interesting for the general case.
...
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Guidance to replace cassettes sprockets "individually"
I've seen that sprockets were sold separately (or by "groups/spiders"). Given the small sprockets wear faster than the big ones, it could make sense to replace them at higher interval than ...
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How should I wash my MTB knee pads?
I have a pair of 7iDP Transition knee pads that are starting to smell and are in need of a wash. However, I am not totally sure the best course of action for cleaning the pads. Please let me know your ...
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Can I replace just the internals of a wheel's hub instead of the whole wheel?
After a while (e.g. 10 years or 40,000 km) the bearings in the hub of a wheel become worn-out -- this is with disk-brakes i.e. where the wheel's rim isn't worn-out.
The bike shop told me that it's not ...
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What is the most ecologically sustainable way to handle rags covered in chain grease?
I have a handful of cloths that I've used to clean and grease my bike chain over the years. Each is covered in chain grease and other gunk that was once on my chain. I'm starting to wonder what I ...
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How can I clean gunked up sprockets?
Over the past months my rear sprockets have accumulated a fair amount of gunk == chain oil + dirt + sand + hair + grass + wood chips. They look bad, and furthermore I fear the chain might be picking ...
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Cracks on tyres
Have cracks of tyres on two bicycles.
See attached photos. Bicycle 1 (top), 2 (bottom).
It isn't dry rot ( What are these cracks in the side of my bicycle tyre called? Does this mean that my tyre is ...
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would a sturmey archer trigger shifter work on an shimano 333 3 speed hub?
Hi everyone i have an NOS shimano 333 3 speed hub set which was given down to me by my friend,all seems to be intact but the only thing missing is the shifter,but i do happen to have a few SA trigger ...
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Should I be worried about small cuts on a tubeless tire/tyre?
My tubeless tires/tyres have a few cuts around the tread pattern. They are each around 3–4mm in length. I've been proactive with topping up sealant and have not had any flats since riding with these ...
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Brake caliper not springing back all the way
I've got got some road caliper rim brakes which don't spring back all the way after pressing them. They go back 95% of the way but there is a tiny bit of left after that they can travel. (without the ...
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How To Maintain a Electric Bicycle?
I had purchase an electric bicycle - Meraki from Ninety one cycles. It's very convenient and easy to use, but I still don't know how to do maintenance of my electric bicycle at home.
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What is this black residue remaining on damper body of rear shock after rides?
About a month ago, I bought a used 2009 Stumpjumper FSR similar to this. It was not used heavily and remains in great condition. Recently however, after medium to long rides, a black residue is left ...
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Seat post keeps sliding down after cleaning and lubricating folding bike
The last time I used my folding bike I gave it a thorough clean, and used WD-40 on the moving parts and then lubricated them again with a silicone-based lubricant spray. This is an eleven-year old ...
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I'm looking for a freewheel wrench to repair a Schwinn Le Tour
I recently bought the bike and it seems that the grease has dried up in all the bearings. Even the front fork doesn't want to turn unless some pressure is applied to the handlebars. Since it is an ...
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When to change quick release springs
The wife and I are newer to longer distance riding and have been learning along the way. While this might mean different things to different people, we are training for an Ironman and will do a half ...
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What bottom bracket tool is needed to install a miche evo max bb?
https://www.miche.it/en/products/strada/movimenti-centrali/evo-max.html
It is 16 notch. I can't find information on this anywhere and instructions didn't come with the BB. I have tried the hollowtech ...
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Why does crank arm need both a bolt and teeth to be fitted to the spindle?
I think the title is self explanatory: why wouldn't either one or the other be enough?
After removing the bolt, you still need a specific tool to pull off the crank arm from the spindle, because the ...
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Pro and cons of "torsion based" torque wrenches
Brands like Canyon are delivering their bikes with torque wrenches that are based on the torsion resistance of the metal that mades up the wrench, like the one pictured below (for the working ...
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