Mountain bike advice

[ggc]

Hi,

Due to my fairly close proximity to London, transport is probably one of my main worries - it can be a struggle getting to places on a normal Friday afternoon, let alone during adverse weather or any other event that could cause London to grind to a halt. I have therefore decided that cycling would be a good way to prep, as well as help to keep me fit. I already have a cheap mountain bike that I bought from Halfrauds 3 years ago and have used just once, and would like to use this to begin with until my budget allows me to upgrade to something better.

My question is, how do I give it a quick service so that I can travel some distance on it? I've been around the block on it and it seems okay but it would be a PITA if something broke when I was 10 miles away from home. I know very little about bikes, but if it helps it has a steel frame, front suspension and 18 gears, and cost about £100 new 3 years ago.

[junmist]

I'm with you ggc. We could never afford a bike when I was young so when I brought my bike it went to the bike shop to be maintained at 40sqid a pop I can no longer afford this so it is sitting in the shed. Id love to learn how to maintain a bike but they do not seem to do useful things like this at night school any more Oh I've just had an idea of to the groups area

[Yorkshire Andy]

what area are you both in? i used to work in a bike shop


to be fair there's not much to service on a mountain bike i'd hate to see what you get for a £40 service....

for that i'd be expecting the world


there is nothing too complex on a bike in my mind atleast (unless you move up to real suspension forks with oil baths and damping circuits or Hydraulic disc brakes)


If either of you have a few basic tools (alan keys, spanners, bike pump,)

Add a basic chain cleaner and some degreaser and chain oil and some PTFE spray you can keep your bike mobile and reliable..

(there will eventually come a time when chains and sprockets need changing but on my town bike i just ride it till the chain snaps then replace it and the sprockets)

This is the Bible of bike repairs :::

http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help

[Cougar]

Check out this and others like them, I find these Youtube guides very good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCX1a-7Edmk

[ggc]

Thanks for the replies and the useful links. I'll have a little read up and see what I can learn. I'm in the Kent/London area where most roads are almost car parks at times

[Yorkshire Andy]

This could come in handy..
https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/specialbuys/s ... ool-kit-3/

(just be aware these get upgraded as bike tech changes the big silver C spanner in the box is to remove Hollowtech II bottom brackets




but the rest should be fine for other jobs...

[ForgeCorvus]

I recently went back to two wheels and bought a bike second-hand.
The guy sold it cheap (20 quid) because he couldn't get the rear brake to work and it had a slow puncture, I fixed the brake with no tools about two minutes after getting out of his sight..... The brake cable was clipped into the caliper wrong, a little knowledge goes a long way

A spare tube can save you a lot of agro, if you get a flat swap the tube and fix it when you're not at the side of a road.

I'm still learning, but my advice would be "Find out what should move, what shouldn't move and what bits should be greasy...... Ensure the status quo"


Can we have a HPV section..... Or a sticky in in this section at least

[ForgeCorvus]

Opps

[Yorkshire Andy]

A spare tube can save you a lot of agro, if you get a flat swap the tube and fix it when you're not at the side of a road.

Go raid your fire starting kit / tescos and put a tampon / cotton wool in your saddle bag with your new tube ..........










Now thats got you thinking hasn't it......




Ok i'll tell you it helps you find what ever caused your puncture open it up fluff it up and slowly wipe round the inside of the tyre and your rim the cotton fibres will snag on what ever punctured your tube so you can remove it without ripping your fingers to bits feeling for it and finding its a shard of razor sharp glass or a thorn...








Fitting a new brake or gear cable and lack a good quality pair of pliers or cable cutters and yours just mush the cable?


heat the cable where your going to cut it with a gas lighter till it begins to glow hot then cut it quickly at the heated spot with your blunt pliers





dont waste your money on slime or slime liners instead put the money towards quality tyres and tubes (they are harder to puncture)



there are some good articles on here if you go digging
http://sheldonbrown.com/

[ggc]

Thanks for the useful advice... I'm fairly confident I can have a long and enjoyable bike ride now even if I know my backside will be as red as fire engine afterwards. It's been a while since I rode a bike lol