Wednesday, 7/9/08 at 5:31 PM
by Jenny Skorcz
by Jenny Skorcz
Self-Help Fix List
There are so many things that can go right on a ride – blue sky and sunshine, a tail wind, a friend to share the experience with, and feeling good from the inside. We should always take a moment to notice when nothing is going wrong! But, when something does go wrong you may find that the pleasure you were after waits just around the corner from a quick fix.
The following list, comprised of common mechanical issues, details what has happened and why, as well as how to solve the problem. The list is meant to be fun and informative, not intimidating or a source of stress. You can successfully fix these minor mishaps and save yourself! That said, prevention is the best form of medicine; make sure to have your bike professionally tuned at the beginning of the season to avoid a more serious mechanical problem.
1. Chain rattles on rear cog after shift (or rattles and won’t shift)
The cable running from the shifter to the derailleur must be properly tensioned. Inside the shifter, the cable winds around a plastic spool; each click rotates the spool a few degrees and tightens the cable so the derailleur will move and shift the chain to the next cog. If the chain fails to move with a click of the shifter (or rattles after the shift), stand behind the bike and look at the location of the upper derailleur pulley relative to the cog. If the pulley is in between two cogs or is not centered underneath one cog, turn the barrel adjuster counter clockwise. Watch the derailleur move while turning and stop when the pulley is centered.
TOOLS: keen powers of observation, thumb & index finger
2. Chain falls off to inside or outside of the chain ring
The front derailleur limit screw prevents the chain from falling off to the inside. There are two screws on the top of the derailleur – one for the inner chain ring or LOW gear and one for the outer chain ring or HIGH gear. If the chain falls off occasionally, the appropriate limit screw should be tightened ¼ turn clockwise. If the chain falls off regularly the front derailleur needs to be realigned & adjusted professionally.
TOOLS: Phillips screw driver
3. Chain rubs on the front derailleur
The limit screws prevent the chain from being thrown off the chain rings and the cable tension eliminates rub. When the chain rubs in the LOW gear, turn the barrel adjuster on the shifter ½ turn clockwise. Turn the barrel adjuster ½ turn counter clockwise if the chain rubs the derailleur in HIGH gear.
TOOLS: fingers & thumb
4. Chain breaks
There are (at least) three reasons a chain breaks:
1. Rider shifted gears while pedaling hard and ripped the rivet from the chain plate ( this happened to me many times when I was a new mountain biker who did not know it was best to shift before the steepest part of a climb, not during).
2. Chain rivet was not pressed into plate completely.
3. Chain plate was damaged during rivet installation.
Although it is recommended that you carry a chain tool in the saddlebag, you should also carry a Master Link for repair. Use the chain tool to remove the damaged bit of chain and reconnect the chain using the Master Link.
The Master Link attaches to the “female” ends of the chain. This means you must have the part of the chain link that is a hole available at each end of the chain. The male end of a chain link contains the rivet – go figure!
To use the chain tool, lay the chain in the cradle of the tool and align the rivet in the handle with the rivet you intend to push through the plate. Making sure the chain remains flat in the cradle, turn the handle and push the pin all the way out of the chain. If necessary, repeat process on other end of chain so you end up with holes on each end.
Take the Master Link and slip one rivet/plate into the outside face at one end of the chain and through the inside face at the other. Overlap the Master Link plates, align the rivets with the holes in the plates and pull the ends of the chain away from each other.
TOOLS: Shimano hyper glide chain tool, Master Link
5. Brake pad rubs tire or rim
A problem potentially resulting from incorrect wheel installation.
If wheel appears to be correctly installed, use a Phillips screw driver to tighten (clockwise) caliper centering screw located on side of brake. Always tighten the side where the pad is rubbing.
If pads are centered to rim but one pad seems out of alignment, brake pad may have been bumped with enough force during wheel installation to cause it to move. Using a 5mm Allen wrench, loosen brake pad mounting nut a tiny bit and lower pad until it is just below the top edge of the rim brake surface. Hold the pad firmly with fingers while securing nut so pad does not twist with the wrench.
TOOLS: Phillips screw driver, 5mm Allen wrench
6. Tire damaged by sharp object
When the tire is cut all the way through, something must be installed between the inside of the tire and the outside of the inner tube; even a hole the size of a pencil tip is large enough for the inner tube to push through the tire. Park Tool makes self-adhesive tire patches, which are easy to apply and quite durable. Simply clean the damaged area inside of the tire, rough the area with a bit of sand paper, and apply the patch.
It is also possible to make your own tire boot. Fold a dollar bill in half, then half again – an energy bar wrapper will also work. Insert the paper inside the tire and center it at the hole. Carefully install the tube and feel with fingers that boot has not shifted out of place. Install tire/tube into rim and inflate. Inspect outside of tire for evidence that boot has moved – tube will be visible through hole.
TOOLS: tire levers, tire patch or energy bar wrapper, inflation device
7. Bonk
To bonk is to have depleted all your energy stores before completing a ride. You know it is coming when:
• You have convinced yourself you are riding with two flat tires
• You get cranky and emotional and it is not that time of the month
• Your limbs feel like they are filled with cement
By the time you realize what is happening, it is too late to do anything about it because every last bit of fuel stored in the muscles has been used up.
When you have bonked, stop for a moment. Stretch your legs, take some deep breaths and be gentle with yourself. Find a convenience store and buy a healthy snack, such as a couple bananas or an apple and drink a couple bottles of vitamin water. Avoid candy or anything with high fructose corn syrup. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich is a far better choice than a Snickers bar!
Although the food will help, the body is still in the red zone. Although it might feel impossible to continue, you are about to learn something about yourself in regards to capacity to endure. Summon your courage and begin to turn the cranks. Sing your favorite song over and over to yourself. Find the rhythm of the pedal stroke and bring your song to it. You will make it home.
TOOLS: Lara Bar, Luna Bar, Hammer Gel, Nuun, good night sleep the night before and a healthy pre-ride meal, learn the words to Dancing Queen by ABBA
Ride happy,
Jenny
The following list, comprised of common mechanical issues, details what has happened and why, as well as how to solve the problem. The list is meant to be fun and informative, not intimidating or a source of stress. You can successfully fix these minor mishaps and save yourself! That said, prevention is the best form of medicine; make sure to have your bike professionally tuned at the beginning of the season to avoid a more serious mechanical problem.
1. Chain rattles on rear cog after shift (or rattles and won’t shift)
The cable running from the shifter to the derailleur must be properly tensioned. Inside the shifter, the cable winds around a plastic spool; each click rotates the spool a few degrees and tightens the cable so the derailleur will move and shift the chain to the next cog. If the chain fails to move with a click of the shifter (or rattles after the shift), stand behind the bike and look at the location of the upper derailleur pulley relative to the cog. If the pulley is in between two cogs or is not centered underneath one cog, turn the barrel adjuster counter clockwise. Watch the derailleur move while turning and stop when the pulley is centered.
TOOLS: keen powers of observation, thumb & index finger
2. Chain falls off to inside or outside of the chain ring
The front derailleur limit screw prevents the chain from falling off to the inside. There are two screws on the top of the derailleur – one for the inner chain ring or LOW gear and one for the outer chain ring or HIGH gear. If the chain falls off occasionally, the appropriate limit screw should be tightened ¼ turn clockwise. If the chain falls off regularly the front derailleur needs to be realigned & adjusted professionally.
TOOLS: Phillips screw driver
3. Chain rubs on the front derailleur
The limit screws prevent the chain from being thrown off the chain rings and the cable tension eliminates rub. When the chain rubs in the LOW gear, turn the barrel adjuster on the shifter ½ turn clockwise. Turn the barrel adjuster ½ turn counter clockwise if the chain rubs the derailleur in HIGH gear.
TOOLS: fingers & thumb
4. Chain breaks
There are (at least) three reasons a chain breaks:
1. Rider shifted gears while pedaling hard and ripped the rivet from the chain plate ( this happened to me many times when I was a new mountain biker who did not know it was best to shift before the steepest part of a climb, not during).
2. Chain rivet was not pressed into plate completely.
3. Chain plate was damaged during rivet installation.
Although it is recommended that you carry a chain tool in the saddlebag, you should also carry a Master Link for repair. Use the chain tool to remove the damaged bit of chain and reconnect the chain using the Master Link.
The Master Link attaches to the “female” ends of the chain. This means you must have the part of the chain link that is a hole available at each end of the chain. The male end of a chain link contains the rivet – go figure!
To use the chain tool, lay the chain in the cradle of the tool and align the rivet in the handle with the rivet you intend to push through the plate. Making sure the chain remains flat in the cradle, turn the handle and push the pin all the way out of the chain. If necessary, repeat process on other end of chain so you end up with holes on each end.
Take the Master Link and slip one rivet/plate into the outside face at one end of the chain and through the inside face at the other. Overlap the Master Link plates, align the rivets with the holes in the plates and pull the ends of the chain away from each other.
TOOLS: Shimano hyper glide chain tool, Master Link
5. Brake pad rubs tire or rim
A problem potentially resulting from incorrect wheel installation.
If wheel appears to be correctly installed, use a Phillips screw driver to tighten (clockwise) caliper centering screw located on side of brake. Always tighten the side where the pad is rubbing.
If pads are centered to rim but one pad seems out of alignment, brake pad may have been bumped with enough force during wheel installation to cause it to move. Using a 5mm Allen wrench, loosen brake pad mounting nut a tiny bit and lower pad until it is just below the top edge of the rim brake surface. Hold the pad firmly with fingers while securing nut so pad does not twist with the wrench.
TOOLS: Phillips screw driver, 5mm Allen wrench
6. Tire damaged by sharp object
When the tire is cut all the way through, something must be installed between the inside of the tire and the outside of the inner tube; even a hole the size of a pencil tip is large enough for the inner tube to push through the tire. Park Tool makes self-adhesive tire patches, which are easy to apply and quite durable. Simply clean the damaged area inside of the tire, rough the area with a bit of sand paper, and apply the patch.
It is also possible to make your own tire boot. Fold a dollar bill in half, then half again – an energy bar wrapper will also work. Insert the paper inside the tire and center it at the hole. Carefully install the tube and feel with fingers that boot has not shifted out of place. Install tire/tube into rim and inflate. Inspect outside of tire for evidence that boot has moved – tube will be visible through hole.
TOOLS: tire levers, tire patch or energy bar wrapper, inflation device
7. Bonk
To bonk is to have depleted all your energy stores before completing a ride. You know it is coming when:
• You have convinced yourself you are riding with two flat tires
• You get cranky and emotional and it is not that time of the month
• Your limbs feel like they are filled with cement
By the time you realize what is happening, it is too late to do anything about it because every last bit of fuel stored in the muscles has been used up.
When you have bonked, stop for a moment. Stretch your legs, take some deep breaths and be gentle with yourself. Find a convenience store and buy a healthy snack, such as a couple bananas or an apple and drink a couple bottles of vitamin water. Avoid candy or anything with high fructose corn syrup. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich is a far better choice than a Snickers bar!
Although the food will help, the body is still in the red zone. Although it might feel impossible to continue, you are about to learn something about yourself in regards to capacity to endure. Summon your courage and begin to turn the cranks. Sing your favorite song over and over to yourself. Find the rhythm of the pedal stroke and bring your song to it. You will make it home.
TOOLS: Lara Bar, Luna Bar, Hammer Gel, Nuun, good night sleep the night before and a healthy pre-ride meal, learn the words to Dancing Queen by ABBA
Ride happy,
Jenny
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