Chainset Cleaning
Looking after your chain and chainrings/ rear cassette,
I always clean my chain and chainrings after a ride if they
look dirty and have attracted debris and grit. the best thing
to do is to buy a chain cleaning machine,
Clean the chainset BEFORE cleaning the rest of your bike. the
best way to clean the rear cassette is with the rear wheel removed
(shift the gears to the smallest sprocket on the rear cassette
to aid with refitting later, you will know which sproket to
place the chain on!!), use a small sprocket specific brush and
chain cleaning detergent to get between the sprokets and clean
out all the dirt until spotless, unhook the chain from the front
chainrings and drop carefully down on the bottom bracket or
out of the way so the chain ring spins freely (use a rag to
prevent scratching of your frame if you're that way inclined)
then clean the chainrings as you did with the cassette. You
will also need to clean the small jockey wheels of the rear
mech as these clog up very badly and as they are usually only
made from plastic they can wear down very quickly if left with
grit on them!! refit the rear wheel and refit the chain to the
chainring and cassette.Then to clean the chain, you simply insert
the chain between the brushes of the chain machine and close
the machines two halves together, add some cleaner fluid and
spin the pedals backwards 40 or so turns, then I empty the machine
and give it another go until the chain is clean (only necessary
if still dirty).finally make sure the sprokets are clean again
after fitting the dirty chain to clean it with the machine.
You can decide which order to clean in depending on which is
dirtiest, the chain or sprockets or do a little of each then
a final on each. its up to you.
Cleaning the Rear Cassette |
Unhook chain, Clean Chainrings
|
Clean Jockey wheels |
Lube
Once clean Allow to dry fully, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!! blow
with an airline if you have one to get inside all the rollers
of the chain (any cleaner left inside the chain rollers will
prevent chain lube from sticking and doing its job, lube is
no good just on the outside!) Once fully dry you need to apply
a lube, its best to use a specific chain lube rather than something
you have lying around the garage, they are fairly cheap and
if applied correctly a bottle of lube will last a long time.
I use a wet weather Wet
lube in poor conditions and during the dryer summer months
I use a Dry
lube or try This
one if you want to keep the same brand as the wet lube.
Pick a start point, either a split link or the main black chain
pin (or use a dab of tipex to mark a link) then carefully add
a drop of lube to each side of each link one by one until you
have lubed the entire chain, mine is 108 links (sad eh?) then
cycle the chain backwards to work the lube inside the rollers,
also a squirt of lube inside the small jockey wheels of the
rear mech where they run against their centre pin/ bearings.
If you're using a wet lube remove the excess lube from the outside
of the chain with a rag as this will only attract dirt, If you're
using a dry lube shake up the bottle to mix the solution together
before applying to the chain, but this time you dont need to
wipe off the excess from the outside of the chain after lubing,
it is actually better left on the chain to repel the dirt. Finally
a small amount of lube on the pivot points of the rear mech
and front mech (deraileurs).
Yes it is a pain to clean your drive train after each wet ride
but the benefits far outweigh the time spent. Your drive train
will last for a many years instead of maybe one year (it is
expensive to replace a full drive train, which is what you will
probably need) and also more importantly while out on the trail
you will have smooth consistant shifting, which you
cant put a price on!
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Bike Cleaning
You can Clean your however
you like I just use a hose when I get back from riding and whatever
has stuck to the bike usually just drops off, especially if
its been raining (which lets face it, it usually has been) if
its a little stuck on then I use a soft brush or sponge with
a bucket and water with a little cleaner in it (I use Muc-Off
or if I've ran out, fairy liquid, some people would advise you
not to use fairy liquid as they say it damages stuff, personaly
I haven't experienced this, But I always dry my bike after washing
it) However its probably best to use a bike specific cleaner
such as Muc-Off or other bike specific cleaners as they are
designed with bike components in mind, one thing you must not
do is POWERWASH around the components of the bike such as brakes/
brake levers, gear systems, hubs, cables, pivots, fork seals,
bottom brackets, headsets etc as water in any of them will destroy
them and end up costing you a fortune to replace them and it
will mean lost trail time.Other than that it 'should' be ok
to clean the other items on the bike with a jet wash and 'should'
be ok to rinse the components mentioned above with a power wash
if it is kept at a very far
distance so as not to concentrate the waters jet at the components.
Also if you have an Airline do not use it to dry around brakes,
seals, bearings, fork seals etc as you will cause damage and
even blow air into hydraulic systems, however it should be ok
to blow dry at a distance (frame and components etc just do
not force dry at close distances!)
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Bleeding Magura Disc Brakes
I have chosen Magura as an example of how to
bleed disc brake systems as this is the brand that is fitted
to my bike (specifically, Magura Louise) and I have therefore
experience in doing so. (for other brands of braking system
please refer to manufacturers specifications, there is a list
of most of the main brake manufacturers on my links
page)
I have taken this bleeding guide from Magura
directly but have added in some extra points
that I think are important and therefor are worth adding (I
have high lighted them in RED text)
I have also added some pictures to help with the process.
- For Marta SL, Marta and Gustav M - Fix
the caliper in a postition so that the hose connection to
the caliper is at the highest possible point. Hose must be
positioned vertically. You may have to loosen or unscrew the
caliper fitting bolts that connect the caliper to the frame
or fork to get the caliper in this position. .......................................
For Louise FR, Louise, Julie - Fix the caliper
in a position so that the bolts that hold the caliper together
are horizontal. You may have to unscrew the lower caliper
fitting bolt to get the caliper in this position. On
my 2005 model Louise brake calipers there are no bolts holding
the caliper together? I fixed the caliper with the fitting
holes horizontal as per this picture below, there is a high
point above the bleed screw but air is still bled out ok.
- Remove the Pads and push the pistons back into their cylinders
completely with a Plastic tyre lever. It is important to remove
the pads during the bleeding process to ensure they are not
contaminated.To remove the pads simply
straighten the split pin end and pull it out then unbolt the
caliper and remove it from the frame (taking note of any spacer
washers between the caliper and frame), remove the pads from
the underside of the caliper one at a time, then fix the caliper
in the position shown above in STEP 1.
- Assemble your Magura syringe, tube, and m6 threaded bleed
fitting. Fill this completely ONLY with Magura Blood (see
below) Make sure your bleeding syringe is totally full
and air free. Point the thin outlet
end/pipe and threaded bleed fitting upwards and gently push
the syringe piston into the cylinder until a tiny amount of
Magura blood comes out of the bleed fitting, check again that
there are no air bubbles in the syringe.Unscrew
the 3mm or 5mm bleed plug located on the caliper (see
below) with a hex wrench and attach your bleeding syringe/
pipe/ threaded bleed fitting into this hole. Tighten fitting
1/8 turn with an 8mm open end wrench. Avoid
mess by wrapping a piece of old rag around the caliper.
- Loosen the 5mm clamp bolt which clamps the master cylinder
(Brake lever assembly) to the handlebars and level the reservoir
so it is horizontal then slightly tighten up the clamp bolt
again so that it does not move around. I
also secure the bars with a bungie strap.
- Take the reservoir cap off with the
T7 torx wrench (Mine came in
the kit) and remove the rubber membrane.
- Start the bleeding process by pushing
the fluid through the system from the bottom up using the
bleeding syringe. Use the second syringe to take out the excess
fluid from the reservoir before it over flows. Again
a piece of old rag wrapped around the lever assembly will
stop fluid dripping everywhere (make sure it is clean and
free of dust/dirt though as you don't want this to enter the
reservoir) Also it is important to lightly
tap the caliper and brake line with the handle of a small
screwdriver, etc while the fluid is being pushed through the
system to help make the bubbles rise up to the reservoir.
Push almost the entire amount of fluid through the system
but leave a small amount in the syringe.
- Slowly start cycling the lever blade. This will push fluid
through the system from the top and out the caliper and into
the bleed syringe. Keep the reservoir full of Magura Blood
with the second syringe which should
be full from STEP 6 so that you do not
introduce air into the system and have to start again. Cycle
lever 20 times OR until air bubbles are no longer coming out
of the bleed fitting and into the bleed pipe/ syringe. Your
system should now be totally air free. When
you slowly cycle the lever blade make sure that you really
do cycle the lever SLOWLY, start by SLOWLY pulling the blade
in completely, then as you SLOWLY release the blade back out,
hold the piston of the syringe and the syringe body in a fixed
position so the piston cannot move in the body, with your
other hand to stop the fluid sucking the fluid back into the
caliper again as the lever blade returns outwards. I found
that if you cycle the blade at a normal speed like as if you
were pulling the blade to test the brakes you dont have to
hold the syringe and piston BUT lots of air is introduced
into the system around the bleed fitting area and bleeding
the system seems endless! The key to bleeding successfully
is to do it slowly.
- Make sure that the reservoir is completely
full and re-install the membrane and reservoir cap and secure
the screws with the T7 torx. Wipe off
any excess fluid from the lever assembly.
- Important step - Unbolt
the caliper from the frame/ fork keeping the bleed syringe/
pipe/ fitting attached and make sure the caliper is clean
and dry then place the pads back into the caliper, BUT do
not secure them with the split pin. Now place the caliper
with pads in and place the caliper over the disc rotor as
though you are going to fit it BUT do not put the bolts back
in, allow the caliper to be free on the rotor (see
below). Now push fluid into the system with the bleed
syringe at the caliper end until resistance can be felt. Check
visually that the pads meet the rotor fairly equally and that
one of the pistons is not stuck in, if one is stuck in, apply
pressure to the caliper/ rotor to move it untill the pistons
are roughly equally out of the caliper body, then repeat the
pushing of the fluid with the syringe until the resistance
is felt and the pads meet the rotor. This
will set the pads on the rotor for the particular pad wear
and ensure that the maximum amount of fluid is in the system.
- Take the caliper carefully off the
rotor making sure that you don't spread the pads, then
take the pads out of the caliper and
place to the side out of the way of contamination and fluid
spillages. Loosen and take the bleed
syringe off the caliper and quickly re-install the original
bleed plug back into the caliper and tighten.
- Clean off any fluid from the caliper/
rotor etc and re-install the pads back into the caliper, bolt
the caliper back on along with any spacer washers that came
off when removing it.
Thanks to
Buck Mitchell
Magura USA
www.magurausa.com
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Replacing
Chain/ Cassette/ Chainrings
Chains
After a while your Chain will begin to stretch
and start to wear, the best thing to do is to buy a chain measuring
device which will tell you if your Chain is past its sevicable
life and is in need of replacement. If you choose to ignore
this and carry on riding with a worn out chain then the Chain
will begin to prematurely wear out the Cassette and Chainrings,
The Chainrings and Cassette will eventually need replacing anyway
as they are a wearing part and do need to be replaced every
so often just like the chain. Things to look out for are teeth
that look like sharks teeth/ saw edged or have large spaces
in between the teeth and sharply pointed tips instead of a U
shape between teeth and flat topped teeth! see below, new one
is on the right!
roll upwards from bottom of image with mouse!
Changing a chain is a really simple task, if
you have a split link then simply disconnect the link and remove
the chain, if on the other hand there is no split link, which
is probably the case if this is the frst time you have had to
replace the chain on a bike which you have owned from new! then
you will need a chain splitter, either buy a stand alone chain
splitter designed premarliy for splitting chains or if you can?
get a multi tool with a chain splitter included! Then once the
chain is removed count the number of links the chain has and
then count the number of links on the new chain and remove any
that are not needed (If you order the new chain off the internet
make sure that it is the correct size and length, chains are
the same width for 7/8 speed rear casettes but thinner for 9
speed and thinner again for 10 speed rear cassettes) Sram make
some brilliant split links to join your chain together that
are as strong as a regular link in a chain, they are priced
at around £1.99 and are really simple to use.
Chainrings
When replacing the Chainrings on your bike for
the first time make sure that the new chainring/s you get (if
ordering online) are the correct size! chainrings differ in
width, be it 8/9 speed etc and the number of teeth but most
importantly the BCD measurement! BCD (or Bolt Centre Diameter)
refers to the diameter of an imaginary circle thats centre is
the middle of the chain ring and runs through the centre of
each of the bolt holes, On a 4 bolt Chainring this is easy to
measure as it is the distance from one bolt hole centre across
to the centre of the bolt hole directly opposite (see below
for example) but on a 5 bolt Chainring the measurement is harder
to take as non of the bolt holes are directly opposite each
other. One way you could measure a 5 bolt Chainring is to measure
from the very centre of the crank arm mount/ bottom bracket
axle centre, outwards to the centre of one bolt holes and multiply
by two, thus giving you the BCD (i.e if the distance was 55mm
multiply by two gives you a BCD of 110mm)
roll upwards from bottom of image with mouse!
Cassettes
Cassettes will wear out just like the Chainrings
at the front of your drive chain wear out, the teeth become
'Saw/ Shark toothed' and the U's become elongated with the tips
of the teeth becoming sharp and pointed. To remove the Cassette
you will need a special socket, these vary in type depending
on the type of Cassette fitted, most mountain bikes have Shimano
or Sram Cassettes fitted but I have heard of some XC whippets
who fit 10 speed Campagnolo road cassettes which need a different
socket. Shimano and Sram Cassettes for premium priced MTB's
use the same type of socket which can be purchased fairly cheaply
from most online bike stores or your Local Bike Shop (LBS),
here is an example one that I purchased made by ICETOOLZ
it says for Shimano BUT also fits Sram to! You will probably
need a chain whip (see Chainwhip in box below Cassette tool)
as well to hold the cassette while undoing the lockring for
the Cassette they to are cheap to buy, I didn't buy one to remove
my Cassette, instead I improvised by using the old Chain that
was being replaced and therefor didn't matter if I damaged it.
I wrapped the chain once around the Cassette and then used a
nail (you could use a thinnish screw driver) which I slotted
through the chain to hold it together and held the nail with
a set of pliers, then undid the lockring! It is only secured
to 40Nm and so wasn't tight to undo, when you come to torque
up the lockring on the new Cassette you don't need to hold the
cassette with a chain whip as the teeth are locked by the Freehub
as though you are pedalling. Make sure that you adhere to the
correct torque or you could strip out the lockring threads or
worse the freehub threads as well! See below for use of tool
with quick release skewer removed, the tool has a locating rod
to stop the tool slipping out of the teeth (Please note, the
spanner holding the tool is for illustration purposes only!
a spanner or normal ratchet and socket should be used when undoing
the old lock ring! to tighten up the new Cassettes lockring
always use a torque wrench, NEVER use the torque wrench to undo
as this will damage/ uncalibrate the torque wrench)
roll upwards from bottom of image with mouse!
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Swopping out brake pads
Magura Louise FR, IS (International
Standard) mount.
Firstly, while the Caliper is still bolted tight,
squeeze the split pin ends to close up the pin for easy removal!
then grip the ring end of the split pin and pull the pin out,
then place it to one side ready for refitment later.
roll upwards from bottom of images with mouse!
Now that the split pin is removed you can go
ahead and remove the caliper, make sure that the Allen key or
socket is the correct size and is fully inserted into the allen
headed bolt hole, if there is dirt inside the bolt hole use
a small screw driver to scrape out the dirt (you could round
out the bolt hole and/ or injure yourself if the key/socket
is not fully inserted and slips out)
roll upwards from bottom of image with mouse!
When removing the pins that hold the caliper
to the swing arm or fork, take note that there are loose washers/shims
between the mount and the caliper which will fall and could
be lost if you don't catch them! ( IS Type mount only ) also
note how many washer/shims are at each bolt mounting and keep
them with the respective bolt and mount (i.e the front bolt
washers kept with the front bolt and refitted to the front mount
for the caliper) this is because the shims are there to adjust
the caliper in relation to the disc and may cause uneven wear,
squealing, poor performance etc if fitted incorrectly.
roll upwards from bottom of image with mouse!
Once the caliper is removed gently ( slow/light
action ) press the caliper pistons back into the caliper with
a screw driver or other slim flat blade, do this while the old
pads are still fitted that way you wont damage the pistons or
new pads! ( it may be nessasary to slacken the lever/reservoir
assembly and level the reservoir then remove the top cap and
catch excess fluid as the pistons are pushed back in, try with
first! see above guide to removing top cap and bleeding brakes
when top cap removed)
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Remove the old pads and fit the new pads back
in making sure that the friction braking surface is the correct
way around, i.e the friction surface of the pad will contact
the disc rotor and not the Metal back plate of the pad contacting
the disc rotor! ( If when the first pad is inserted you find
it difficult to slot the second pad into the caliper because
the pads seem too thick, use a small screw driver or other blunt
object to very gently push the already inserted
pad and piston back into the caliper body while you insert the
second pad, They will both fit in, trust me ) Now refit the
caliper, making sure that the bolts and washers/shims go back
where they came from. Screw one bolt and washers/shims in at
a time by hand and leave slightly loose to help when fitting
the second bolt and washers/shims.
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Secure the bolts taking care not to over tighten
them and refit the split pin then bend the split pin ends back
open to stop it coming back out. test the operation of the brake
lever, if the lever has very litle movement or the brake drags
without being pulled it may be nessasary to drain off and re-bleed
the brakes as described above as there may be too much fluid
in the system! Also if the lever pulls into the handlebar grip
when pressed there may have been air introduced into the system
while pushing the pistons back in and may also require bleeding
(see above topic for bleeding brakes)
roll up from bottom of images with mouse!
Page last updated 26/06/2008
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