Doing The Repairs Of A Mountain Bike On Your Own
Doing the repairs of a mountain bike on your own is not as challenging as it seems. You can start if you just have a bit of idea how it is done and have the right tool set. You also need to find a reliable supplier of the bike components.
Maintaining a mountain bike in good running order is in your own interest. It is not just cost effective but also helps in getting long life out of your components. Regular maintenance tasks include bike wash, checking for damage, setting the brakes, adjusting the gears and changing worn components.
If you do regular maintenance of bike, there will be less need to take it to a repair shop. In fact, many bicycle repair jobs can be done on your own. This will save you trips to the bike shop. You can better use of the time to ride your bike.
With a bit of know-how and the right tools, tasks like changing a chain, changing brake pads, or removing cranks are fairly easy to do. If you reside far away from a bike workshop, fixing your own bike can be a very useful skill.
Wiping and Checking Bike
Wipe and check a bike after every 50km. Do a wipe job of the front shock and rear shock, and ensure that the dust seals are clean. Run a dry clean cloth on the chain. Wipe old lubrication off the chain-rings and re-lubricate it. Check that wheels are moving to sides, brakes are working, handlebar is tight and gears are changing properly. Check and adjust tire pressure as well. It is best to do the quick check at the end of the day and make the repairs and adjustments, so that the bike is ready to perform before the next day.
Washing Bike
Washing a bike with the right tools won't take more than 5-10 minutes. A quick wash will make it appear as new. A full bike wash is required only after a couple of weeks.
Getting Tool Set
Maintaining a bike is not actually as complicated as it looks like. Start slowly and build up a set of bike tools as you progress. You will slowly gain confidence. When your bike needs service next time, buy the required tools and try to do the repairs yourself rather than wasting time.
Adjusting Gears
You just need to follow a few basic rules to understand what should be the setup and what needs to be adjusted. The setup has to be done only once, unless the part is removed or replaced. All you will need to do then is to adjust the parts.
The Chain
A chain is worn roughly every 1000km and you need to replace. In between, you need to remove
grease BB and crank at regular intervals. Check the BB bearings for wear. Remove rear shock and properly grease all bushings when replacing. Cassette will be needed to be replaced only every 4000 to 5000km.
Maintaining Fork and Shock
Remove dust seals from fork, ensure that the oil is still clean and the foam rings are clean and lubricated. Remove rear shock from the bike, deflate all air, check for the areas recommended in manual, re-grease and refit.
When doing the DIY, you will also need to source several parts. Fibica [http://www.fibica.com/avid-bb7-mechanical-disc-brake-caliper-set.html] is a genuine supplier of bikes as well as the parts used in it. Whether you are looking for disc brakes or components, you can trust them regarding the quality.
Maintaining a mountain bike in good running order is in your own interest. It is not just cost effective but also helps in getting long life out of your components. Regular maintenance tasks include bike wash, checking for damage, setting the brakes, adjusting the gears and changing worn components.
If you do regular maintenance of bike, there will be less need to take it to a repair shop. In fact, many bicycle repair jobs can be done on your own. This will save you trips to the bike shop. You can better use of the time to ride your bike.
With a bit of know-how and the right tools, tasks like changing a chain, changing brake pads, or removing cranks are fairly easy to do. If you reside far away from a bike workshop, fixing your own bike can be a very useful skill.
Wiping and Checking Bike
Wipe and check a bike after every 50km. Do a wipe job of the front shock and rear shock, and ensure that the dust seals are clean. Run a dry clean cloth on the chain. Wipe old lubrication off the chain-rings and re-lubricate it. Check that wheels are moving to sides, brakes are working, handlebar is tight and gears are changing properly. Check and adjust tire pressure as well. It is best to do the quick check at the end of the day and make the repairs and adjustments, so that the bike is ready to perform before the next day.
Washing Bike
Washing a bike with the right tools won't take more than 5-10 minutes. A quick wash will make it appear as new. A full bike wash is required only after a couple of weeks.
Getting Tool Set
Maintaining a bike is not actually as complicated as it looks like. Start slowly and build up a set of bike tools as you progress. You will slowly gain confidence. When your bike needs service next time, buy the required tools and try to do the repairs yourself rather than wasting time.
Adjusting Gears
You just need to follow a few basic rules to understand what should be the setup and what needs to be adjusted. The setup has to be done only once, unless the part is removed or replaced. All you will need to do then is to adjust the parts.
The Chain
A chain is worn roughly every 1000km and you need to replace. In between, you need to remove
grease BB and crank at regular intervals. Check the BB bearings for wear. Remove rear shock and properly grease all bushings when replacing. Cassette will be needed to be replaced only every 4000 to 5000km.
Maintaining Fork and Shock
Remove dust seals from fork, ensure that the oil is still clean and the foam rings are clean and lubricated. Remove rear shock from the bike, deflate all air, check for the areas recommended in manual, re-grease and refit.
When doing the DIY, you will also need to source several parts. Fibica [http://www.fibica.com/avid-bb7-mechanical-disc-brake-caliper-set.html] is a genuine supplier of bikes as well as the parts used in it. Whether you are looking for disc brakes or components, you can trust them regarding the quality.
