2nd hand mountain bikes service?

chrisfreelander54

Just bought 2 second hand dual suspension mountain bikes for £40 :T, and have replaced the brake pads on the front of the one that I will be riding as they were none existent, but now they squeak :rotfl:, is this because the pads have a coating that needs to wear off or have I done something wrong?

Also the gears don't select properly so need adjusting, how is this done?

Also you hear of bike shops offering a service and I just wondered exactly hats involved?

Thanx in advance
Chris.

Moderatly_Nuts

A full service from a bike shop would cost almost as much as you paid for the bike. Services vary by bike shop so ask the shop whats included in the price if you get it done in a shop, but you can do most of the work yourself.

They would pump up the tyres, this needs to be done regularly so it's worth investing in a pump with a pressure gauge. Bike tyres will feel firm at about 10-15psi, mountain bike tyre have a minimum pressure around 40psi so the pressure gauge is important.

They would replace any worn out cables, a full set: inners, outers and end-caps cost less than a tenner from a bike shop.

They would clean and re-lube every thing, can be done with soapy water and a tin of wd40.

A full service usually includes truing wheels. If your wheels are out of true to the extent that they are causing problems it would be worth getting them trued at a bike shop, the kit to do the job properly is expensive and wheels can go for thousands of miles before they need truing again.

The rest is just realigning and basic adjustments, sheldonbrown.com has a lot of articles on bike maitanence and set-up, including adjusting brakes, derailers and diagnosing any squeeks and odd noises. There are lots of step by step video guides on youtube aswell.

Squeaking brakes could just be dirty rims or more likely a minor pad adjustment. Gear problems are usually down to cable adjustment. most bikes have an adjuster on the cable under the down tube, on the derailer, or the shifters, try giving it half a turn 1 way if that makes it worse try a full turn the other way. If after a while your making no progress have a look through an online guide.

osu817

Check out the park tools website - has videos and descriptions for most jobs. Just be aware that sometimes the very cheap bikes aren't that well designed for servicing.

If the brakes are rim brakes then toe in the pads, by making them hit the rim with the front of the pad slightly more than the back of the pad, as the squealing is usually vibration as the pad hits the rims when you pull the brakes on. By toeing the pads in, then you counteract any flex in the brakes and they go onto the rim flat - you get better braking too (or so the theory goes) The appropriate amount of "toe in" is apparently to set the brakes up with a credit card under the rear of the pads.

ifonly_

They did offer a 'service plan' for the bikes in Halfords which included one free service and free labour for a year. Think this is £20. This might be the best value for you in this situation.

Not sure I would trust them with my expensive road bike, but certianly they will be fine with a run-around bike.