| MTB
Check Up
by Geoff Slater
Giving Your Mountain Bike a Spring Tune-Up
Before you hit the trails after a long winter’s
snow, you should consider giving your bike a little
pre-season TLC. Good bicycle maintenance means catching
small problems before they become serious. Here are
some things to think about…
Clean it Up!
This is especially important if you put your bike
away dirty at the end of the last season. Before you
reach for the water, knock everything bigger than
a pimple off of your bike. Do this using a soft, dry
paintbrush. Gather some cleaning brushes and warm
water and clean the bike until it is spotless. Degrease
the chain and let dry. Now you are ready for repair
work.
Chain
Check for chain wear by taking a 12” ruler and
lining one end up with the center of a link pin. The
other end should line up exactly with the center of
another pin.
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If it is off, you should replace the chain. Look for
weak links that rattle and bent links that don’t
smoothly turn around the jockey wheels of the rear
derailleur. If the links “hitch” on the
pulleys, replace the chain. Now oil every link, one
at a time; let sit and wipe off the excess oil.
Pedals
Make sure your pedals work properly by first making
sure that every last bit of mud is cleared from them.
Then, carefully lube the moving parts with your chain
oil let sit and wipe of the excess.
Gears
Run through your gears by slowly turning the pedals
and shifting. If your chain has a hard time moving
from gear to gear, turn the barrel adjusters on the
shifters one-quarter turn at a time until shifts are
crisp. If shifting is not smooth at this point, you
may need to replace your cables.
Cranks
Pull on your cranks to make sure there is no play.
Spin cranks to make sure rotation is smooth. Play
and grinding from these tests means you may need a
new bottom bracket. * Assuming your crank is ok, (no
play or grinding), you should then check the sprocket
teeth. If they are not broken or hooked, they are
probably good to go. If they look like a shark’s
fin or have burrs on them, they need to be replaced.
*Now check all of the crank bolts, to make sure they
are tight.
Brakes
Disc: Check that rotor bolts are tight and that the
rotors spin straight. If the rotors wobble slightly,
they can be bent true with large pliers. Check brake
pads for wear and replace them if necessary.
V-Brakes: All v-brakes have a notch on the pads that
is the wear indicator. As they wear, readjust them
so they don’t dive under the rim. Also, make
sure the pads don’t rub the tire when the brake
lever is depressed.
Hubs
Hold the wheel (front or rear) from the top and move
from side to side. It should have no play. Spin the
wheel and listen for grinding. It should spin smoothly
– and quietly. If you experience play in the
wheel and/or hear a grinding noise, the wheel bearings
probably need to be replaced. *
Rims
If you use rim brakes, check the rim for wear. If
they are “dished” too much (worn concave
by brake pads), they may need to be replaced. * >
Slight dishing is not a problem, although the more
they wear, the less braking power you will have. Also,
check for wheel wobbles. If the rim is slightly out
of true, adjust spokes, three at a time, from the
most extreme point of the wobble. To do this, loosen
spokes one-quarter turn at a time at the side the
wobble is reaching to. Then, tighten spokes one-quarter
turn at a time at the side of the rim the tire is
wobbling away from. With a little patience, you will
get the rim straight.
*If you are not handy, you may need a bike mechanic
for this operation. Don’t experiment if you
aren’t sure.
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