Wednesday 22 May 2013

Why a Bike Needs Regular Servicing - Part 1

Regular servicing and timely component changing is important in keeping your bike running smoothly.

I've been compiling a 'black museum' of parts removed from bikes that have gone well past there useful life.  As in a previous blog regular chain changing is important for the rest of the components in the drive train.  The images below show what happens when a 'knackered' chain continues to be used.


 These are jockey wheels from a rear dérailleur, the small jockey wheel has been added to the photo to show what a good wheel should look like.  There was also considerable wear in all the rear dérailleur pivot points so the whole lot was changed. 
  
 The cassette was also shot as the picture below shows, again the worn chain has caused the wear. 


The overall cost to the customer was approx £70 worth of parts and labour, all for the cost of a £10 chain.

If you've got any questions about Cycle Repairs then please contact us on either 07812 033 064, 01446 796 959 or via the Online Quotes and Booking Form on the website or by email at peter@valecycleservicing.co.uk




Monday 13 May 2013

Cycle Parts & Spares

Vale Cycle Servicing carries an extensive range of parts and spares, all at competitive prices.
  
We carry a range of the most common parts that need replacing on a bike from manufacturers such as Shimano, Schwalbe, Weldtite, Fibrax, Clarks, Sunrace, Raleigh, RSP, XLC, Deda.

We have:
  • Axles
  • Ball Bearings
  • Bottom Brackets
  • Brake Blocks
  • Brake Cables
  • Cassettes
  • Chains
  • Handlebar Tape
  • Head Sets
  • Pumps
  • Suspension Bearings
  • Tubes
  • Tools
  • Tyres
  • Wheels
  • Wheel Bearings
for instance these are some of the deals we can do:








Schwalbe Lugano £11.88 each









Deda Mistral bar tape £7.76










XLC Headsets from £5





 





Cassettes from £7




 


KMC Chains from £8




 
 
If you require the price for a part or about having your bike(s) serviced then please contact us on either 07812 033 064, 01446 796 959, by email at peter@valecycleserving.co.uk. or via the Online Quotes and Booking Form.  

Friday 10 May 2013

SAB Team Takoni Bike Build - Drive Train & Gears

Getting towards the end of the build so it's time to fit the most important parts of the bike together, the drive train.  

This consists of the crankset, front dérailleur, rear derailleur, cassette and chain.



It's all fairly simple stuff to fit, it's the setting up that trips people up and results in poor shifting, and a noisy ride.

It's nice to see even on Shimano's Sora groupset that the crankset's are nowadays Hollowtech, pretty impressive on an entry level system.

The front dérailleur mechanism should be set so the it is parrell with the chainring with a 1 to 3mm gap between the derailleur and the teeth of the largest chainwheel.


Also it's important to set the high and low stop correctly so the chain doesn't over travel when changing gear.



Again at the rear set the dérailleur high and low stops so the top jockey wheel is directly under the top or bottom gear before the chain goes on.


 If you're fitting your own chain there are a few ways to work out the correct length, if you have the old one then measure it side-by-side and then take off what isn't needed.  Another way is to thread the chain on to the bike using the smallest gears and then cutting the chain length so there is a gap between the top jockey wheel and the chain (see picture below)

 It's all the a matter of setting the tension on the cables so the dérailleurs move the chain on to each gear smoothly and efficiently with no rubbing when on the gear.

That's it for this bike, which is now for sale.  They are many other aspect of selecting parts and setting a bike up that I will cover with other builds but this has been about giving you a flavour of a good medium price bike build. 
  
If you've got any questions about bicycle builds then please contact us on either 07812 033 064, 01446 796 959 or via email at peter@valecycleserving.co.uk





Thursday 9 May 2013

SAB Team Takoni Bike Build - Gear Hanger Fabrication

When I bought the SAB frame I didn't realise there wasn't a rear dérailleur gear hanger supplied with the frame.  

Having exhausted all suppliers and having been quoted over £300 to have one made I decided to revert to my aircraft trade skills and modify one that was similar.  

Many hours were spent perusing endless list until I came up with this hanger, the main issue with the SAB frame being the hanger is internally mounted.


This was filed down to the correct shape along with drilling and tapping the mounting holes to produce this:


Trouble is it all looked a bit messy and it wasn't the ideal hanger to modify as it was to small.  Another trawl of the internet came up with this hanger that look ideal:



The mounting holes aren't in the correct position but apart from that the hanger is the right size to fit.  Again the hanger was carefully filed to shape and the necessary mounted holes drilled and tapped to 4mm.




The hanger was finally fitted to give me a functional gear hanger, total cost £38, that's better than the £300 previously quoted.  As I can't buy a hanger for these frames I've fabricate two so there's a spare, plus I've made a template to produce more if needed.

The evolution of the hanger is shown below:


 And finally the hanger on the bike


If you've got any questions about bicycle builds or parts fabrication then please contact us on either 07812 033 064, 01446 796 959, by email at peter@valecycleserving.co.uk. or via the Online Quotes and Booking Form.



Tuesday 7 May 2013

Chains - The Good The Bad And The Ugly

One of the things people are unsure about is when to change their chains.

Many do it on a calender basis or not at all, not realising that chains do wear.  checking your chain for wear is so easy to do all you need is one of these:

 
Using the tool is easy and a good chain will look like this with the chain checker not dropping between the rollers.  As you can see the outside edge of the checker is resting on a roller indicating that the chain is good.

 
However if the chain is worn the checker will drop fully between the rollers.  Time to change it.  



Just recently though I've come across a few chains like this:




The checker doesn't drop in so the chain looks OK, however if you look at the image you'll see that the chain is so worn the it's now the inside edge of tool that's stopping it dropping between the rollers.  Not only will the chain need changing but the rear cassette and possibly the most used chain wheel will also need replacement. 

I have Raleigh Chain Checkers in stock for £5.99, RRP is £6.99.  



They work slightly differently by giving you two sides to check for wear, the .75 side means the chain should be changed now which will stop further wear to the cassette and chainwheel(s),  if the 1.0 side drops in then not only the chain needs changing but probably the the cassette and chainwheel(s).

If you've got any questions about Cycle Repairs then please contact us on either 07812 033 064, 01446 796 959 or via the Online Quotes and Booking Form on the website or by email at peter@valecycleservicing.co.uk





Thursday 2 May 2013

SAB Team Takoni Bike Build - Brakes

With this building I'm using the complete Shimano Sora groupset, that also includes the brakes.

Many bikes sold will have Non-Series components substituted such as brakes and cranks to keep the cost down but the bike is still advertised as 105, Tiagra etc. when it's only the drivetrain.    


The Sora brakes now feature toe adjustment on the pads and should be set to approx 1mm toe in to the front i.e. when the front of the pads touches the rim there should be a 1mm gap at the back, this helps reduce squeal during braking.

 

This is done by using an elastic band slipped over the back of the pad to act as a shim allowing the toe-in to be easily set.


Also remember to fit the pads the right way with the arrow on the pad facing forward, you'll be surprised how many times you see pads fitted backwards or even upside down. 

If you've got any questions about bicycle builds then please contact us on either 07812 033 064, 01446 796 959 or via email at peter@valecycleserving.co.uk