Viewing 17 posts - 1 through 17 (of 17 total)
  • Servicing – where to begin?
  • heywayne
    Free Member

    What’s a standard service on a bike?

    My local bike shop quoted £39 for a standard service – plus parts, but I have no idea what the standard service entails?

    I had a look at the Evans website, and their standard service is about £60 – and it seems mostly about checking that stuff is there:

    Recommended every 3 to 9 months, depending on use.
    Frame & Forks Wiped down and checked for alignment.
    Wheels Hubs and rims checked for damage and wear.
    Bearings checked for free movement and adjusted (if applicable).
    Trued and spokes retensioned.
    Tyres Tyres and sidewalls checked for wear and inflated to correct pressure.
    Headset Checked for free movement and adjusted as necessary.
    Bottom Bracket Checked for free movement and adjusted as necessary.
    Bolts Checked and tightened to correct torque.
    Chain & Cassette Removed, cleaned, checked for wear and
    re-lubricated.
    Brakes Checked for effective operation and adjusted

    Question is, how much of this stuff can I realistically do myself – and do I need to buy specialist tools to do so?

    I’d like to be able to do most (if not all) of it myself, but where the hell does one start?

    akira
    Full Member

    Most of it can be done yourself with a set of allen keys but a basic tool kit of chain whip, cassette remover, chain tool, pedal spanner, bb tool, crank removal tool and torx keys will do most of the other stuff.
    Park tool website has very handy videos and guides.

    BigJohn
    Full Member

    Most of the checks can be done by eye, or by holding 1 part and wiggling.

    Yesterday I felt my fork was a bit sticky so when I got back after the ride I gave it a quick lube service. All I needed was an allen key, a pair of pliers (to remove the rebound adjust) and I used circlip pliers tp grab the wiper seals. Kitchen roll came in handy.

    The other day I used 2 allen keys and a bit of grease (and kitchen roll, of course) to sort out a bit of play in the headset.

    Start with something simple that needs adjusting and learn as you go.

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    jackthedog
    Free Member

    Give the bike a thorough clean first of all. A *proper* clean, so it’s as close to showroom condition as you can get it. During that process you’ll generally notice anything that needs attention.

    stumpyjon
    Full Member

    That lot from Evans doesn’t really constitute a service in my opinion, more just a set of checks.

    At the least I’d strip the wheel bearings, lube and regrease, probably remove the freehub, flush and relube. Strip the rear derailleur to lube jockey wheels. Remove crank, pedals and BB, grease BB and pedal bearings and reassemble. Strip headset down, clean and regrease. Remove seat post, clean, regrease if applicable and also the QR collar. Strip and clean headset bearings, femove forks.

    Would usually replace gear cables and outers with new if they hadn’t been done for a while. Front and rear shock services if required.

    On a fully suss I’d also strip, strip clean and relube bearings and or replace.

    Consider bleeding the breaks if they needed it.

    All can be done at home with the right tools and enough time. Start small and work up which is what I did, building confidence and collecting the tools as needed.

    Standard service from an LBS is really there to check things you should be checking. if they find anything they’ll then charge you to sort, e.g. cables, seized stuff, bearings etc. Periodically removing all bolts etc. makes it a lot easy to replace stuff when things do break.

    BigJohn
    Full Member

    Think twice before following Stumpyjon’s service schedule. Many of the components he mentions there are not serviceable in the way he describes.

    Shimano freehubs – you can’t service, Hope wheel bearings – you can’t service. Some BBs can’t be greased. I’m not saying he’s wrong, but some suggestions may not work on your bike.

    heywayne
    Free Member

    I’m having trouble understanding what half the things he’s suggested are, let alone how to strip/replace/adjust them.

    My current bike is the first one I’ve had with disc brakes, and they alone fill me with a certain sense of trepidation…

    Ecky-Thump
    Free Member

    Wayne,
    I’d be reluctant to hand a bike over to the shop for that list of work, but then I’m not one to let a shop do something that I’d like to be able to understand/do myself.

    Recommended every 3 to 9 months, depending on use.

    I think that’s more like a list of checks to be done weekly. 😯

    As said above, get a basic toolkit and start with the simple jobs. Unless of course you have more cash than time.

    Ecky-Thump
    Free Member

    BigJohn

    Hope wheel bearings – you can’t service

    You can but only to a certain extent. I pop the seals off the outer face of the races and re-grease in situ.

    Shimano freehubs – you can’t service

    LBS told me that after I’d stripped mine and gone to them for replacement bearings. 😆 They though I was mad!
    Admitedly it was a fiddly job reassembling it, having to sit all the loose bearings in grease to hold them in place whilst it went back together. Don’t think I’d bother again.

    FunkyDunc
    Free Member

    £60 sounds quite a lot to me for what looks like a load of visual checks by Evans. IMO a lot of stuff is best left alone if it is working right and the visual checks show no sign of wear. Certainly taking stuff apart just to regrease can cause more problems than its worth.

    Do you have any mates who can work on bikes? If so ask them to show you what to do. Failing that how much are maintenance courses?

    This is quite handy too http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help

    Three_Fish
    Free Member

    See if this basics guide is of any use to you.

    heywayne
    Free Member

    Three_Fish – Member
    See if this basics guide is of any use to you.

    Brilliant – looks just the ticket for a moron like me. Cheers.

    uwe-r
    Free Member

    If it isn’t broke don’t try and fix it. That will get you a long way.

    If is starting to feel tired try to pinpoint what is wrong and just fix the problem. The first thing to go is normally gear alignment caused through the cables stretching. You can re align these quite simply (plenty of u-tube videos) or replace all the cables inners and outers if they have been on the bike for a while (they should last 2 years I’d say). No tools other than proper cutters required.

    The next thing would be the chain and cassette (poor shifting and chain suck / slipping are the signs) – this requires tools (again check u-tube for videos). This is simple once you know how and you can recover the cost of the tools in the savings you make from not paying shop prices for parts and labour.

    Bottom brackets are a bit more difficult but if you’ve done the two above your on a roll now.

    Mister-P
    Free Member

    If it isn’t broke don’t try and fix it. That will get you a long way

    So you don’t do preventative maintenance? Ride it until it breaks? A quick check over can prevent you having a mechanical somewhere a long walk from home.

    karen805
    Free Member

    This is what my local shop do for £40:

    ?Front & rear gears checked and adjusted
    ?Front & rear brakes checked and adjusted
    ?All pivot points on brake arms and mechs lubricated
    ?Rear mech hanger checked and strengthened
    ?Tyres inspected for wear, seating and correct pressure
    ?Light true to front and rear wheels
    ?Wheel cones checked and adjusted
    ?Spokes checked and tightened accordingly
    ?Headset, stem and handlebar, checked and all bolts tightened
    ?Bottom bracket checked and adjusted
    ?Brakes and gear cables greased throughout
    ?Chain rings checked for wear, all chain bolts tightened and checked
    ?Chain and cassette lubed and checked for wear
    ?Brake pads checked and new fitted if required (plus pads)
    ?Suspension pivots checked, adjusted and lubed

    They did a great job servicing the other half Bokor, £40 well spent IMO.

    hilldodger
    Free Member

    My local Evans offers this
    “FREE Maintenance Training

    Join us in store and learn basic bike maintenance skills in one of our free training sessions. These sessions are held every 1st and 3rd Monday evening of the month, from 7pm-9pm. Please contact the store to find out more and reserve a place (A £10 fully refundable reservation fee is charged to reserve your place on the course)”

    If you have a local Evans, find the store on their website and see if they are part of the scheme.
    Haven’t tried it as my spanner skills are good, but it may be worth it as a beginner…..

    McHamish
    Free Member

    If you go to your local car servicing garage you’ll find that their service is the same…they replace a few consumables and check stuff.

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