On Tue, 15 Apr 2003 19:36:31 -0400, Chris Zacho "The Wheelman" wrote:
All this "check" stuff sounds like what they do for your car's 15,000 mile checkup. IMO most of that
is ****, since you can check to see most of those things in a couple minutes. Why pay $95 for
someone to glance at your brake fluid?
Anyway, most of these should be changed to real actions, IMO. I presume you have done some riding on
the bike in the past year, say 3000 miles or so.
> Standard tune up would be check hubs for bind or play (you can unscrew them to check the grease,
> if it's been a while)
Re-grease the hubs, replacing all the bearings. Cheap insurance.
>
> Check cranks and headset for same.
Here, yeah, presuming that the bottom bracket is a cartridge, then unless it is making bad clicking
noises, leave it be. If the headset has ball&cone bearings, then re-pack it, too. If cartridge,
treat like the bottom bracket. If the bb is making noises, it's time to replace it.
This sort of approach would also apply to hubs if they are cartridge bearings, except that some can
be serviced. Clean and re-grease if you can, and replace bearings if there is a problem like play or
roughness.
>
> Check derailleurs and brakes and adjust if necessary.
>
Look at the brake blocks. If worn, replace. Clean the jockey wheels on the derailleur, and re-lube
the bearings.
> Check all cables.
No. Replace all cables. You can't see inside the sheath, and that is often where damage hides.
Cables cost $1 to $3 per. Broken ones are a major problem.
>
> Check chain, clean and lube if neccesary.
>
Replace the chain. Ride it a bit to see if the chain skips. If it does, you have to replace
the cassette.
> Check all nuts, bolts and whatever else holds things together for tightness, retighten if
> necessary.
>
> If your bike has a freewheel (as opposed to a freehub (cassette gears), check for binding and wash
> out/relube if necessary.
Don't hesitate. It is necessary to re-lube the freewheel if you have one. I soak in solvent (also
clean off the sprockets) to get as much crud out as possible, spin it to get rid of the solvent. Set
it in the hot sun if it exists, or leave it in the shop for a while, to dry out. Apply lots of oil.
Some have an oil hole under the sprockets, but older ones you just drizzle oil in between the
smallest cog and the cover plate. Use plenty of oil and let the excess drain.
--
David L. Johnson
__o | Enron's slogan: Respect, Communication, Integrity, and _`\(,_ | Excellence. (_)/ (_) |
