8/12/2009 10:06 PM
Edited Date/Time:
11/3/2009 3:08 PM
So... heres the thread to ask all of your "my bike is broken" questions.
As i have time i'm going to be writing tutorials and putting them in this thread on how to try and diagnose and fix common problems, or put new parts on your bike. This will be an as i have time type of update (i'm hoping like once a week or so). If you have a problem with your bike and its not listed or you have a special request i'll do my best to help out with it. I dont know absolutley everything about every single problem, but between the few bike tech's we have on the site we'll do our best to get something worked out.
REMEMBER!!!! THE BEST WAY TO NOT HAVE A BROKEN BIKE IS TO TAKE GOOD CARE OF IT!!! PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE WILL SAVE YOU MONEY IN THE LONG RUN!!
Headsets
As we all know headsets are simply bearings (either sealed or unsealed), and they come in three different styles.
Standard- Press in bearing cups, come in both sealed and unsealed, normally found on low end completes, older bikes, and some race bikes.
Integrated- Pretty much the standard for new school bikes. Bearings sit directly in "cups" in the frame.
Internal- Bearings go in cups pressed inside the headtube, pretty much only found on race bikes.
Installing your new headset-
Standard:
What you'll need... A bearing Cup Press (or a hammer and a piece of wood)
Grease
Your new headset
1.Grease the outside of the part of the cup that goes into the headtube.
2.Use your bearing press to press the cups into the headtube.
3. If you dont have a bearing press and are using a piece of wood and a hammer place the piece of wood over the cup and hit the top of it with a hammer until the cups are level and all the way into the frame and repeat the process for the other cup.
4. Put your bearing race on your fork.
5. Grease your bearings and put one of them on your fork with the balls facing upward.
6. Slide your fork into the headtube.
7. Slide your top bearings down your steerer tube with the balls facing downward.
8. Put the bearing cover and any seals onto your steerer tube.
9. Slide the shim down on to your steerer tube.
10. Put your spacers onto your steerer tube.
11. Put your stem on top of your spacers.
12. Grease your compression bolt or cap (lightly)
13. Tighten down just enough that it there is no longer any movement of the bearings inside your headset. If you over tighten it you can blow your bearings without even riding.
**NOTE!!!** Don't ever just pound away on the cups directly with a hammer, it can damage the cups and then your bearings wont sit right and youll have to buy a new headset.
Integrated-
What you'll need: No tools required.
Your new headset.
Grease.
1. Slide your bearing race onto your fork.
2. Place the bearings into the headtube with the angled side facing inwards. (doesnt hurt to throw a little bit of grease around the outter shell)
3. Slide your fork into the headtube.
4. Slide the shim onto your steerer tube.
5. Slide the bearing cover onto your steerer tube.
6. Slide your spacers onto your steerer tube.
7. Put your stem on your steerer tube.
8. Grease your compression bolt or cap.
9. Tighten down the bolt or cap just enough to elimnate movement.
Internal-
What you'll need: Bearing cup press or piece of wood and a hammer.
Your new Bearings.
Grease.
Installing an internal headset is pretty much the same as installing a standard headset. The only difference is that the bearings sit in the cups inside the headtube as opposed to outside of it.
Diagnosing a problem
So your handlebars or moving, or your they make a bad noise when you turn them, or they shake. These are all problems with your headset and its adjustment or that the bearings have gone bad.
First things first dissasemble it and inspect it. Look at the bearing cages and the cups. Check to make sure you havent ovalized your headtube (caused from overtightening your headset and then hard riding, or a crazy gnarly crash!). If your headtube is ovalized your screwed and need a new frame or you can get creative with a hammer and give it a shot fixing it yourself (but considering your reading this thread i wouldnt advise trying to go it alone).
To inspect sealed bearings simply take a small flat head screw driver and pop the seal out of the bearing then youll be able to see the balls and the cage.
If any of the balls are missing or the cage is broken youll need to buy new bearings. If there isnt any visible damage to the bearings themselves make sure to regrease them and reinstall them. Alot of the time problems with bearings are caused by a lack of grease or them not being adjusted correctly.
I'd reccomend adjusting your headset about once a month and if you have an unsealed headset regreasing it once a month. I check my sealed bearings once every couple of months and regrease as needed.
Good luck fixing your bikes, hope this helps!!!
bumpdate, thanks to tibug for hooking it up due to my lack of free time :-D
mostly his writing with some of my own additions thrown in randomly.
Bottom brackets, similar to headsets, are bearings that can be sealed or unsealed that allow your cranks to spin. There are a few different types of bottom brackets. This is really long, so dim the lights, put some water on the burner for tea, and put on your PJ’s.
Types of bottom brackets:
First off bottom brackets are measured in two ways the outer diameter which is your American, Mid, Spanish, and Euro bb types, and the inside holes diameter. When you buy new bearings for your bb make sure that they measure the correct size for both your frame and your spindle, it will save you time/money/energy in the long run.
American-mostly found on lower end bikes, and was the standard in bmx for a really really long time. Can be sealed or unsealed. If sealed, bearings are pressed into shell. If unsealed, bearings are dropped in and then adjusted to proper preload (pressure on bearings) by a locknut and adjusting nut. Largest sized bottom bracket shell of all.
One-piece-almost always use the same size shell as American, but in this case, the crank arms and bottom bracket axle (spindle) are one. Bearings are unsealed and usually in a cage so overhauling (regreasing bearings) is not difficult. Alot of times on the newer american bb's they bearings are actually mid bearings which are then pressed into a cup that is pressed into the frame, so if you go from a frame that has an american bb to a mid frame make sure you check that before you go running off to buy bearings.
Mid-Smaller than American, the most widely used style on almost all frames.
Spanish-Smallest pressed in bottom bracket, lighter than Mid, less durable but still reliable.
Euro-threaded- Smallest bearings of all, least durable, typically found on race bikes. Threaded shell is necessary to use Euro style. Adapters are available for American to Euro conversions. Made for 68mm (wide) shells.
Types of spindles: But first, is your water boiling?
The spindle is the “axle” that the cranks are pressed/pinch-bolted onto and the surface which the bearings contact. Spindles come in different sizes AS WELL as many different crank interfaces. Some of the most popular are:
48-spline: pressed on fit, usually no pinchbolts necessary : used by Profile Racing, Snafu, WeThePeople, and more
Square-taper: Classic spindle style which holds crank arms on by literally stretching the metal around the tapered spindle: used by Sinz Racing, (Primo uses a system based on the classic style but NOT the same), and more
8, 10, 12 and 16 spline: Majority of spindles use this interface with pinchbolts, because the fit is not tight enough to press the cranks on. If you are looking for a crank spindle that uses these numbers of splines or other odd numbers, remember that not ALL 8 splines are the same exact pattern. Same with 10, 12, and 16 spline cranks. Different companies use different systems. Do not assume that a spindle is compatible just because it is the right size and has the same number of splines. Contact the manufacturer before purchasing a replacement.
Sizes of spindles:
Most spindles are either 19mm or 22mm in thickness. Some bottom brackets use a 20mm spindle, but it is rare. If you are not sure what spindle size you have, a bike shop will be able to measure it, if the wonderful vitalbmx crew cannot help you.
Installation of bottom brackets (you get super major props if you’ve managed to read this far. Go get some cookies and since I’m sure you’ve forgotten about and boiled away all the water, put some more on):
Press-fit bottom brackets:
Tools & materials:
Grease (a cheap auto-bearing grease works well)
KY Yours and Mine Lube-just kidding, are you awake?
Bearing press/Hammer and 2x4/or a threaded rod with two nuts, and washers as big or bigger than the bearings as a ghetto bearing press
Rubber mallet
1.) Grease the surfaces in the frame where the bottom bracket rests as well as the bottom bracket itself.
2.) BEFORE attempting to put the bearings in you MUST install the spacer that is included in your bottom bracket kit. It is a sleeve that keeps the bearings at the proper distance from each other. I have forgotten it before, and a slew of wrecked tools, dead animals, and echoing profanity was left in my wake as I stormed out of the garage. Okay, so it’s not that big a deal, but you WILL have to remove the bearings and do the whole thing again if you forget.
3.) Push the greased bearings in as far as you can with your hands. They won’t go very far.
4.) Using the bearing press, hammer and a 2x4, or the homemade bearing press, press the bearings into the frame until the bearings are level with the frame. The reason for the 2x4 is so the pressure is equal and damage to the bearings is minimal
4.5.)Usually, the bearings being level with the frame does not mean they’re in all the way. They will probably slide another few millimeters when the cranks are tightened.
5.) Install the spindle (REMEMBER TO GREASE the bearing surfaces first). Some will just go in with a little kung-fu, but you may need a little encouragement from a rubber mallet. Do not be too concerned with how centered the axle is; it’s position will change with the crank installation
6.) Install the spacers and dust cap(s). The spacers and thin dust cap typically go on the non-drive side and the thicker dust cap on the drive side.
7.) Install the sprocket on your cranks, install your cranks (be sure the cranks are exactly parallel opposite from each other) and tighten the crank bolt(s). Alternate between the left and right side bolts frequently to insure proper spindle location. Crank bolts typically go to the exact torque of “wicked tight, but don’t break your allen wrenches Inch-pounds.”
8.) Check the distance of each of your crank arms from the frame. To obtain equal distance, remove and play around with spacers. But if you take a spacer out and the cranks will not tighten enough, you must replace that spacer…it keeps the crank arms from bottoming out.
9.) Get food. You’re hungry.
Euro bottom bracket installation-
Tools needed-
Rubber mallet
Grease (auto-parts again is good stuff)
1.) Follow every step in the process above, but please DO NOT try to pound Euro bottom brackets (they have threads) into anything. Bad fucking idea.
2.) When threading in, do not use an adjustable wrench right away. To avoid cross threading and having to chase (remake) your threads, thread the bottom bracket in by hand. The drive side bottom bracket is usually left-hand thread, so if it doesn’t seem to be going in Righty-tighty, don’t resort to the hammer yet PLEASE! Try threading it in counter-clockwise.
3.) Use an adjustable wrench to tighten them down. Tight.
4.) If your bb looks like it has little teeth in the cups you thread in, or is an external bb, send me a message with a close up pic of your bb and i will tell you what tool to buy to install and remove your bb.
4.) Get a fucking drink man there’s no fucking way you read all this shit and understood it all. Go get some chocolate milk.
***An added note on the homemade bearing press***
You can make one out of an old axle if you have one lying around. Just go to the hardware store and pick up a big ass washer that the center hole isnt larger than your axle nut and voila. Cheap, easier, and safer way to put your bearings in.
FRONT HUBS/REAR CASSETTE HUBS:
Front hubs are comprised of five main parts, the hub shell (or body), the axle, the locknuts/conewashers, axle nuts, and the bearings.
Rear hubs are comprised of 5 main parts the hub shell (or body), the axle, the locknuts/conewashers, the driver/freewheel/cog, and the axle nuts.
There are a million and a half different hubs out there and I’m not going to delve into the millions of differences between them all, and I quite simply don’t know everything about every hub on the market.
BEARINGS:
Bearings on hubs, like everything else on a bike come in two varieties, sealed cartridge bearings and unsealed (which can also be in a cage or just placed into the hub body and secured with the cone washer.
Installing sealed bearings in your front hub:
What you need: Grease
Bearings
Axle
Locknuts
Hub shell
1. Using your finger rub a small amount of grease around both the outside of your bearing and the inside of your hub.
2. Screw one of your locknuts onto your axle and place your bearing over top of it.
3. Stick it through the hub shell and place your other bearing onto the axle.
4. Start tightening the locknut down and the bearings will be pushed into the hub shell by the locknuts.
5. Be careful not to over tighten the locknuts or you will crush your bearings and have to buy new ones.
Installing unsealed bearings in your front hub:
What you’ll need: The same stuff as for sealed, but you’ll need your cone washers as well.
1. Using your finger rub a small amount of grease around both the outside of your bearing and the inside of your hub.
2. Screw one of your cone washers onto your axle
3. Place your bearings into the hub body on one side of the hub(if you have bearings that aren’t in a cage put enough grease in the hub shell that you can drop them into the hub and they’ll stick in place, try to push them all the way against the edge so none of them fall out when you screw your cone washer in.)
4. Put your axle in the hub.
5. Grease the other side of the hub, and put the bearings in the same way as before.
6. Screw your cone washers onto your axle.
7. If you have locknuts as well put those on now.
INSTALLING BEARINGS IN YOUR REAR HUB:
It’s the same as the front hub, you just have a driver to put in on one side or you screw on a freewheel.
REMOVING YOUR DRIVER:
What you need: Cone wrenches or crescent wrenches
Allen keys if your axle is designed for it.
1. Remove your wheel from your bike.
2. Remove your locknut .
3. Pull out your driver.
4. If your driver doesn’t come out easily the bearings are more than likely compressed on your axle. To get it out you can either find a way to pry it out, or you can take your locknut and cone washer off the other side and hit your axle with a hammer or mallet and it should pop out.
REMOVING STUCK LOCKNUTS: If your locknut or cone washer is stuck this is an easy way to get it off if you don’t have access to an axle vise. Usually when this happens, one side will come off really easy and the other will be stuck.
What you need: Cone wrenches or crescent wrenches
Axle nuts
1. Screw the locknut that came off back on to the axle.
2. Put a cone/crescent wrench on it.
3. Screw the axle nut onto the axle all the way until it is tight against the crescent wrench.
4. Put the crescent/cone wrench on the lock nut on the other and unscrew it. The other locknut will unscrew until it hits the axle nut and then you will be able to torque down on the stuck one without the axle spinning.
5. If this doesn’t work your going to have to take it to a shop so they can use an axle vise on it.t
MAKING YOUR HUB LOUDER OR QUIETER:
**NOTE** This is not advised because it will shorten the life of your hub.
But there are two ways to make it louder, you can take all of the grease out of your hub, or you can tighten the spring down on the pawls.
Wheel building and wheel truing
Wheel building
I have no experienced in this so I am going to refer you to some videos and web sites that can explain it better then I ever could.
Wheel building videos
Part 1
Part 2
Wheel building web sites
These are for you less visual learners that like to read more then watch.
http://www.tenpackbmx.com/...eel_Building_101.pdf
http://sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html
Truing
In short to true all you do is loosen and tighten spokes. Finding out which spokes you tighten and loosen and by how much is the tricky part. Truing is a very time consuming process, which the more times you do it the easier it will become. No matter which method you use you will do the same thing to true you wheel.
First you will find out to which side the wheel is wobbling too. If the wheel wobbles to the left you tighten the spokes on the right then if need be you also loosen spokes on the left just slightly and vice versa. You will only want to turn the spoke about a half turn each time because the spoke could twist and you don’t want that. TAKE YOUR TIME.
Normally you would want and truing stand to do this but there are other ways. Some common ways to check to see if you wheel is true is to use your brakes as guides. We all know most of us don’t run brakes anymore so what else can we use? I will try to explain some of the other things we can use and how to use them. You can use zip ties, markers and you can even build your own truing stand.
Zip ties
Okay, for this you will want to get some zip ties. They will act as you indicator and help you figure to which side the wheel wobbles. You will just put them on your forks so the end is near the wheel.
If the wheel wobbles to the left you tighten the spokes on the right then if need be you also loosen spokes on the left just slightly and vice versa
Marker
1. Get a marker
2. Spin the wheel
3. Slowly move the marker towards the wheel using the forks as a brace.
4. As soon as it touches the wheel you remove it.
5. It should leave a nice mark where you wheel is out of true.
6. Find the mark and tighten the spoke on the other side of the wheel and loosen the spokes on the marked side of the wheel.
7. Repeat on both sides of the until it’s completely true
Home made truing stands.
For the people that want something a little permanent then Zip Ties but don’t want to spend a bunch of money on a truing stand.
Forks and a vice
What you will need
1. Vice
2. Zip ties or anything else that you want to use as the indicator
3. Old forks
I could tell you how to build it but it would be easier to just show you a picture
Here is a link to another one.
http://www.instructables.com/id/S8T2I8KFCEIJ24L/
Please message me if you think if something should be changed or added to it.
PUTTING TOGETHER YOUR BIKE
Tech Tips
http://www.odysseybmx.com/techcorner/
As i have time i'm going to be writing tutorials and putting them in this thread on how to try and diagnose and fix common problems, or put new parts on your bike. This will be an as i have time type of update (i'm hoping like once a week or so). If you have a problem with your bike and its not listed or you have a special request i'll do my best to help out with it. I dont know absolutley everything about every single problem, but between the few bike tech's we have on the site we'll do our best to get something worked out.
REMEMBER!!!! THE BEST WAY TO NOT HAVE A BROKEN BIKE IS TO TAKE GOOD CARE OF IT!!! PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE WILL SAVE YOU MONEY IN THE LONG RUN!!
Headsets
As we all know headsets are simply bearings (either sealed or unsealed), and they come in three different styles.
Standard- Press in bearing cups, come in both sealed and unsealed, normally found on low end completes, older bikes, and some race bikes.
Integrated- Pretty much the standard for new school bikes. Bearings sit directly in "cups" in the frame.
Internal- Bearings go in cups pressed inside the headtube, pretty much only found on race bikes.
Installing your new headset-
Standard:
What you'll need... A bearing Cup Press (or a hammer and a piece of wood)
Grease
Your new headset
1.Grease the outside of the part of the cup that goes into the headtube.
2.Use your bearing press to press the cups into the headtube.
3. If you dont have a bearing press and are using a piece of wood and a hammer place the piece of wood over the cup and hit the top of it with a hammer until the cups are level and all the way into the frame and repeat the process for the other cup.
4. Put your bearing race on your fork.
5. Grease your bearings and put one of them on your fork with the balls facing upward.
6. Slide your fork into the headtube.
7. Slide your top bearings down your steerer tube with the balls facing downward.
8. Put the bearing cover and any seals onto your steerer tube.
9. Slide the shim down on to your steerer tube.
10. Put your spacers onto your steerer tube.
11. Put your stem on top of your spacers.
12. Grease your compression bolt or cap (lightly)
13. Tighten down just enough that it there is no longer any movement of the bearings inside your headset. If you over tighten it you can blow your bearings without even riding.
**NOTE!!!** Don't ever just pound away on the cups directly with a hammer, it can damage the cups and then your bearings wont sit right and youll have to buy a new headset.
Integrated-
What you'll need: No tools required.
Your new headset.
Grease.
1. Slide your bearing race onto your fork.
2. Place the bearings into the headtube with the angled side facing inwards. (doesnt hurt to throw a little bit of grease around the outter shell)
3. Slide your fork into the headtube.
4. Slide the shim onto your steerer tube.
5. Slide the bearing cover onto your steerer tube.
6. Slide your spacers onto your steerer tube.
7. Put your stem on your steerer tube.
8. Grease your compression bolt or cap.
9. Tighten down the bolt or cap just enough to elimnate movement.
Internal-
What you'll need: Bearing cup press or piece of wood and a hammer.
Your new Bearings.
Grease.
Installing an internal headset is pretty much the same as installing a standard headset. The only difference is that the bearings sit in the cups inside the headtube as opposed to outside of it.
Diagnosing a problem
So your handlebars or moving, or your they make a bad noise when you turn them, or they shake. These are all problems with your headset and its adjustment or that the bearings have gone bad.
First things first dissasemble it and inspect it. Look at the bearing cages and the cups. Check to make sure you havent ovalized your headtube (caused from overtightening your headset and then hard riding, or a crazy gnarly crash!). If your headtube is ovalized your screwed and need a new frame or you can get creative with a hammer and give it a shot fixing it yourself (but considering your reading this thread i wouldnt advise trying to go it alone).
To inspect sealed bearings simply take a small flat head screw driver and pop the seal out of the bearing then youll be able to see the balls and the cage.
If any of the balls are missing or the cage is broken youll need to buy new bearings. If there isnt any visible damage to the bearings themselves make sure to regrease them and reinstall them. Alot of the time problems with bearings are caused by a lack of grease or them not being adjusted correctly.
I'd reccomend adjusting your headset about once a month and if you have an unsealed headset regreasing it once a month. I check my sealed bearings once every couple of months and regrease as needed.
Good luck fixing your bikes, hope this helps!!!
bumpdate, thanks to tibug for hooking it up due to my lack of free time :-D
mostly his writing with some of my own additions thrown in randomly.
Bottom brackets, similar to headsets, are bearings that can be sealed or unsealed that allow your cranks to spin. There are a few different types of bottom brackets. This is really long, so dim the lights, put some water on the burner for tea, and put on your PJ’s.
Types of bottom brackets:
First off bottom brackets are measured in two ways the outer diameter which is your American, Mid, Spanish, and Euro bb types, and the inside holes diameter. When you buy new bearings for your bb make sure that they measure the correct size for both your frame and your spindle, it will save you time/money/energy in the long run.
American-mostly found on lower end bikes, and was the standard in bmx for a really really long time. Can be sealed or unsealed. If sealed, bearings are pressed into shell. If unsealed, bearings are dropped in and then adjusted to proper preload (pressure on bearings) by a locknut and adjusting nut. Largest sized bottom bracket shell of all.
One-piece-almost always use the same size shell as American, but in this case, the crank arms and bottom bracket axle (spindle) are one. Bearings are unsealed and usually in a cage so overhauling (regreasing bearings) is not difficult. Alot of times on the newer american bb's they bearings are actually mid bearings which are then pressed into a cup that is pressed into the frame, so if you go from a frame that has an american bb to a mid frame make sure you check that before you go running off to buy bearings.
Mid-Smaller than American, the most widely used style on almost all frames.
Spanish-Smallest pressed in bottom bracket, lighter than Mid, less durable but still reliable.
Euro-threaded- Smallest bearings of all, least durable, typically found on race bikes. Threaded shell is necessary to use Euro style. Adapters are available for American to Euro conversions. Made for 68mm (wide) shells.
Types of spindles: But first, is your water boiling?
The spindle is the “axle” that the cranks are pressed/pinch-bolted onto and the surface which the bearings contact. Spindles come in different sizes AS WELL as many different crank interfaces. Some of the most popular are:
48-spline: pressed on fit, usually no pinchbolts necessary : used by Profile Racing, Snafu, WeThePeople, and more
Square-taper: Classic spindle style which holds crank arms on by literally stretching the metal around the tapered spindle: used by Sinz Racing, (Primo uses a system based on the classic style but NOT the same), and more
8, 10, 12 and 16 spline: Majority of spindles use this interface with pinchbolts, because the fit is not tight enough to press the cranks on. If you are looking for a crank spindle that uses these numbers of splines or other odd numbers, remember that not ALL 8 splines are the same exact pattern. Same with 10, 12, and 16 spline cranks. Different companies use different systems. Do not assume that a spindle is compatible just because it is the right size and has the same number of splines. Contact the manufacturer before purchasing a replacement.
Sizes of spindles:
Most spindles are either 19mm or 22mm in thickness. Some bottom brackets use a 20mm spindle, but it is rare. If you are not sure what spindle size you have, a bike shop will be able to measure it, if the wonderful vitalbmx crew cannot help you.
Installation of bottom brackets (you get super major props if you’ve managed to read this far. Go get some cookies and since I’m sure you’ve forgotten about and boiled away all the water, put some more on):
Press-fit bottom brackets:
Tools & materials:
Grease (a cheap auto-bearing grease works well)
KY Yours and Mine Lube-just kidding, are you awake?
Bearing press/Hammer and 2x4/or a threaded rod with two nuts, and washers as big or bigger than the bearings as a ghetto bearing press
Rubber mallet
1.) Grease the surfaces in the frame where the bottom bracket rests as well as the bottom bracket itself.
2.) BEFORE attempting to put the bearings in you MUST install the spacer that is included in your bottom bracket kit. It is a sleeve that keeps the bearings at the proper distance from each other. I have forgotten it before, and a slew of wrecked tools, dead animals, and echoing profanity was left in my wake as I stormed out of the garage. Okay, so it’s not that big a deal, but you WILL have to remove the bearings and do the whole thing again if you forget.
3.) Push the greased bearings in as far as you can with your hands. They won’t go very far.
4.) Using the bearing press, hammer and a 2x4, or the homemade bearing press, press the bearings into the frame until the bearings are level with the frame. The reason for the 2x4 is so the pressure is equal and damage to the bearings is minimal
4.5.)Usually, the bearings being level with the frame does not mean they’re in all the way. They will probably slide another few millimeters when the cranks are tightened.
5.) Install the spindle (REMEMBER TO GREASE the bearing surfaces first). Some will just go in with a little kung-fu, but you may need a little encouragement from a rubber mallet. Do not be too concerned with how centered the axle is; it’s position will change with the crank installation
6.) Install the spacers and dust cap(s). The spacers and thin dust cap typically go on the non-drive side and the thicker dust cap on the drive side.
7.) Install the sprocket on your cranks, install your cranks (be sure the cranks are exactly parallel opposite from each other) and tighten the crank bolt(s). Alternate between the left and right side bolts frequently to insure proper spindle location. Crank bolts typically go to the exact torque of “wicked tight, but don’t break your allen wrenches Inch-pounds.”
8.) Check the distance of each of your crank arms from the frame. To obtain equal distance, remove and play around with spacers. But if you take a spacer out and the cranks will not tighten enough, you must replace that spacer…it keeps the crank arms from bottoming out.
9.) Get food. You’re hungry.
Euro bottom bracket installation-
Tools needed-
Rubber mallet
Grease (auto-parts again is good stuff)
1.) Follow every step in the process above, but please DO NOT try to pound Euro bottom brackets (they have threads) into anything. Bad fucking idea.
2.) When threading in, do not use an adjustable wrench right away. To avoid cross threading and having to chase (remake) your threads, thread the bottom bracket in by hand. The drive side bottom bracket is usually left-hand thread, so if it doesn’t seem to be going in Righty-tighty, don’t resort to the hammer yet PLEASE! Try threading it in counter-clockwise.
3.) Use an adjustable wrench to tighten them down. Tight.
4.) If your bb looks like it has little teeth in the cups you thread in, or is an external bb, send me a message with a close up pic of your bb and i will tell you what tool to buy to install and remove your bb.
4.) Get a fucking drink man there’s no fucking way you read all this shit and understood it all. Go get some chocolate milk.
***An added note on the homemade bearing press***
You can make one out of an old axle if you have one lying around. Just go to the hardware store and pick up a big ass washer that the center hole isnt larger than your axle nut and voila. Cheap, easier, and safer way to put your bearings in.
FRONT HUBS/REAR CASSETTE HUBS:
Front hubs are comprised of five main parts, the hub shell (or body), the axle, the locknuts/conewashers, axle nuts, and the bearings.
Rear hubs are comprised of 5 main parts the hub shell (or body), the axle, the locknuts/conewashers, the driver/freewheel/cog, and the axle nuts.
There are a million and a half different hubs out there and I’m not going to delve into the millions of differences between them all, and I quite simply don’t know everything about every hub on the market.
BEARINGS:
Bearings on hubs, like everything else on a bike come in two varieties, sealed cartridge bearings and unsealed (which can also be in a cage or just placed into the hub body and secured with the cone washer.
Installing sealed bearings in your front hub:
What you need: Grease
Bearings
Axle
Locknuts
Hub shell
1. Using your finger rub a small amount of grease around both the outside of your bearing and the inside of your hub.
2. Screw one of your locknuts onto your axle and place your bearing over top of it.
3. Stick it through the hub shell and place your other bearing onto the axle.
4. Start tightening the locknut down and the bearings will be pushed into the hub shell by the locknuts.
5. Be careful not to over tighten the locknuts or you will crush your bearings and have to buy new ones.
Installing unsealed bearings in your front hub:
What you’ll need: The same stuff as for sealed, but you’ll need your cone washers as well.
1. Using your finger rub a small amount of grease around both the outside of your bearing and the inside of your hub.
2. Screw one of your cone washers onto your axle
3. Place your bearings into the hub body on one side of the hub(if you have bearings that aren’t in a cage put enough grease in the hub shell that you can drop them into the hub and they’ll stick in place, try to push them all the way against the edge so none of them fall out when you screw your cone washer in.)
4. Put your axle in the hub.
5. Grease the other side of the hub, and put the bearings in the same way as before.
6. Screw your cone washers onto your axle.
7. If you have locknuts as well put those on now.
INSTALLING BEARINGS IN YOUR REAR HUB:
It’s the same as the front hub, you just have a driver to put in on one side or you screw on a freewheel.
REMOVING YOUR DRIVER:
What you need: Cone wrenches or crescent wrenches
Allen keys if your axle is designed for it.
1. Remove your wheel from your bike.
2. Remove your locknut .
3. Pull out your driver.
4. If your driver doesn’t come out easily the bearings are more than likely compressed on your axle. To get it out you can either find a way to pry it out, or you can take your locknut and cone washer off the other side and hit your axle with a hammer or mallet and it should pop out.
REMOVING STUCK LOCKNUTS: If your locknut or cone washer is stuck this is an easy way to get it off if you don’t have access to an axle vise. Usually when this happens, one side will come off really easy and the other will be stuck.
What you need: Cone wrenches or crescent wrenches
Axle nuts
1. Screw the locknut that came off back on to the axle.
2. Put a cone/crescent wrench on it.
3. Screw the axle nut onto the axle all the way until it is tight against the crescent wrench.
4. Put the crescent/cone wrench on the lock nut on the other and unscrew it. The other locknut will unscrew until it hits the axle nut and then you will be able to torque down on the stuck one without the axle spinning.
5. If this doesn’t work your going to have to take it to a shop so they can use an axle vise on it.t
MAKING YOUR HUB LOUDER OR QUIETER:
**NOTE** This is not advised because it will shorten the life of your hub.
But there are two ways to make it louder, you can take all of the grease out of your hub, or you can tighten the spring down on the pawls.
Wheel building and wheel truing
Wheel building
I have no experienced in this so I am going to refer you to some videos and web sites that can explain it better then I ever could.
Wheel building videos
Part 1
Part 2
Wheel building web sites
These are for you less visual learners that like to read more then watch.
http://www.tenpackbmx.com/...eel_Building_101.pdf
http://sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html
Truing
In short to true all you do is loosen and tighten spokes. Finding out which spokes you tighten and loosen and by how much is the tricky part. Truing is a very time consuming process, which the more times you do it the easier it will become. No matter which method you use you will do the same thing to true you wheel.
First you will find out to which side the wheel is wobbling too. If the wheel wobbles to the left you tighten the spokes on the right then if need be you also loosen spokes on the left just slightly and vice versa. You will only want to turn the spoke about a half turn each time because the spoke could twist and you don’t want that. TAKE YOUR TIME.
Normally you would want and truing stand to do this but there are other ways. Some common ways to check to see if you wheel is true is to use your brakes as guides. We all know most of us don’t run brakes anymore so what else can we use? I will try to explain some of the other things we can use and how to use them. You can use zip ties, markers and you can even build your own truing stand.
Zip ties
Okay, for this you will want to get some zip ties. They will act as you indicator and help you figure to which side the wheel wobbles. You will just put them on your forks so the end is near the wheel.
If the wheel wobbles to the left you tighten the spokes on the right then if need be you also loosen spokes on the left just slightly and vice versa
Marker
1. Get a marker
2. Spin the wheel
3. Slowly move the marker towards the wheel using the forks as a brace.
4. As soon as it touches the wheel you remove it.
5. It should leave a nice mark where you wheel is out of true.
6. Find the mark and tighten the spoke on the other side of the wheel and loosen the spokes on the marked side of the wheel.
7. Repeat on both sides of the until it’s completely true
Home made truing stands.
For the people that want something a little permanent then Zip Ties but don’t want to spend a bunch of money on a truing stand.
Forks and a vice
What you will need
1. Vice
2. Zip ties or anything else that you want to use as the indicator
3. Old forks
I could tell you how to build it but it would be easier to just show you a picture
Here is a link to another one.
http://www.instructables.com/id/S8T2I8KFCEIJ24L/
Please message me if you think if something should be changed or added to it.
PUTTING TOGETHER YOUR BIKE
Tech Tips
http://www.odysseybmx.com/techcorner/
I will SMITE you!!!
ridebmxnc wrote: So... heres the thread to ask all of your "my bike is broken" questions.
As i have time i'm going to be writing tutorials and putting them in this thread on how to try and diagnose and fix common problems, or put new parts on your bike. This will be an as i have time type of update (i'm hoping like once a week or so). If you have a problem with your bike and its not listed or you have a special request i'll do my best to help out with it. I dont know absolutley everything about every single problem, but between the few bike tech's we have on the site we'll do our best to get something worked out.
REMEMBER!!!! THE BEST WAY TO NOT HAVE A BROKEN BIKE IS TO TAKE GOOD CARE OF IT!!! PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE WILL SAVE YOU MONEY IN THE LONG RUN!!
Headsets
As we all know headsets are simply bearings (either sealed or unsealed), and they come in three different styles.
Standard- Press in bearing cups, come in both sealed and unsealed, normally found on low end completes, older bikes, and some race bikes.
Integrated- Pretty much the standard for new school bikes. Bearings sit directly in "cups" in the frame.
Internal- Bearings go in cups pressed inside the headtube, pretty much only found on race bikes.
Installing your new headset-
Standard:
What you'll need... A bearing Cup Press (or a hammer and a piece of wood)
Grease
Your new headset
1.Grease the outside of the part of the cup that goes into the headtube.
2.Use your bearing press to press the cups into the headtube.
3. If you dont have a bearing press and are using a piece of wood and a hammer place the piece of wood over the cup and hit the top of it with a hammer until the cups are level and all the way into the frame and repeat the process for the other cup.
4. Put your bearing race on your fork.
5. Grease your bearings and put one of them on your fork with the balls facing upward.
6. Slide your fork into the headtube.
7. Slide your top bearings down your steerer tube with the balls facing downward.
8. Put the bearing cover and any seals onto your steerer tube.
9. Slide the shim down on to your steerer tube.
10. Put your spacers onto your steerer tube.
11. Put your stem on top of your spacers.
12. Grease your compression bolt or cap (lightly)
13. Tighten down just enough that it there is no longer any movement of the bearings inside your headset. If you over tighten it you can blow your bearings without even riding.
**NOTE!!!** Don't ever just pound away on the cups directly with a hammer, it can damage the cups and then your bearings wont sit right and youll have to buy a new headset.
Integrated-
What you'll need: No tools required.
Your new headset.
Grease.
1. Slide your bearing race onto your fork.
2. Place the bearings into the headtube with the angled side facing inwards. (doesnt hurt to throw a little bit of grease around the outter shell)
3. Slide your fork into the headtube.
4. Slide the shim onto your steerer tube.
5. Slide the bearing cover onto your steerer tube.
6. Slide your spacers onto your steerer tube.
7. Put your stem on your steerer tube.
8. Grease your compression bolt or cap.
9. Tighten down the bolt or cap just enough to elimnate movement.
Internal-
What you'll need: Bearing cup press or piece of wood and a hammer.
Your new Bearings.
Grease.
Installing an internal headset is pretty much the same as installing a standard headset. The only difference is that the bearings sit in the cups inside the headtube as opposed to outside of it.
Diagnosing a problem
So your handlebars or moving, or your they make a bad noise when you turn them, or they shake. These are all problems with your headset and its adjustment or that the bearings have gone bad.
First things first dissasemble it and inspect it. Look at the bearing cages and the cups. Check to make sure you havent ovalized your headtube (caused from overtightening your headset and then hard riding, or a crazy gnarly crash!). If your headtube is ovalized your screwed and need a new frame or you can get creative with a hammer and give it a shot fixing it yourself (but considering your reading this thread i wouldnt advise trying to go it alone).
To inspect sealed bearings simply take a small flat head screw driver and pop the seal out of the bearing then youll be able to see the balls and the cage.
If any of the balls are missing or the cage is broken youll need to buy new bearings. If there isnt any visible damage to the bearings themselves make sure to regrease them and reinstall them. Alot of the time problems with bearings are caused by a lack of grease or them not being adjusted correctly.
I'd reccomend adjusting your headset about once a month and if you have an unsealed headset regreasing it once a month. I check my sealed bearings once every couple of months and regrease as needed.
Good luck fixing your bikes, hope this helps!!!
bumpdate, thanks to tibug for hooking it up due to my lack of free time :-D
mostly his writing with some of my own additions thrown in randomly.
Bottom brackets, similar to headsets, are bearings that can be sealed or unsealed that allow your cranks to spin. There are a few different types of bottom brackets. This is really long, so dim the lights, put some water on the burner for tea, and put on your PJ’s.
Types of bottom brackets:
First off bottom brackets are measured in two ways the outer diameter which is your American, Mid, Spanish, and Euro bb types, and the inside holes diameter. When you buy new bearings for your bb make sure that they measure the correct size for both your frame and your spindle, it will save you time/money/energy in the long run.
American-mostly found on lower end bikes, and was the standard in bmx for a really really long time. Can be sealed or unsealed. If sealed, bearings are pressed into shell. If unsealed, bearings are dropped in and then adjusted to proper preload (pressure on bearings) by a locknut and adjusting nut. Largest sized bottom bracket shell of all.
One-piece-almost always use the same size shell as American, but in this case, the crank arms and bottom bracket axle (spindle) are one. Bearings are unsealed and usually in a cage so overhauling (regreasing bearings) is not difficult. Alot of times on the newer american bb's they bearings are actually mid bearings which are then pressed into a cup that is pressed into the frame, so if you go from a frame that has an american bb to a mid frame make sure you check that before you go running off to buy bearings.
Mid-Smaller than American, the most widely used style on almost all frames.
Spanish-Smallest pressed in bottom bracket, lighter than Mid, less durable but still reliable.
Euro-threaded- Smallest bearings of all, least durable, typically found on race bikes. Threaded shell is necessary to use Euro style. Adapters are available for American to Euro conversions. Made for 68mm (wide) shells.
Types of spindles: But first, is your water boiling?
The spindle is the “axle” that the cranks are pressed/pinch-bolted onto and the surface which the bearings contact. Spindles come in different sizes AS WELL as many different crank interfaces. Some of the most popular are:
48-spline: pressed on fit, usually no pinchbolts necessary : used by Profile Racing, Snafu, WeThePeople, and more
Square-taper: Classic spindle style which holds crank arms on by literally stretching the metal around the tapered spindle: used by Sinz Racing, (Primo uses a system based on the classic style but NOT the same), and more
8, 10, 12 and 16 spline: Majority of spindles use this interface with pinchbolts, because the fit is not tight enough to press the cranks on. If you are looking for a crank spindle that uses these numbers of splines or other odd numbers, remember that not ALL 8 splines are the same exact pattern. Same with 10, 12, and 16 spline cranks. Different companies use different systems. Do not assume that a spindle is compatible just because it is the right size and has the same number of splines. Contact the manufacturer before purchasing a replacement.
Sizes of spindles:
Most spindles are either 19mm or 22mm in thickness. Some bottom brackets use a 20mm spindle, but it is rare. If you are not sure what spindle size you have, a bike shop will be able to measure it, if the wonderful vitalbmx crew cannot help you.
Installation of bottom brackets (you get super major props if you’ve managed to read this far. Go get some cookies and since I’m sure you’ve forgotten about and boiled away all the water, put some more on):
Press-fit bottom brackets:
Tools & materials:
Grease (a cheap auto-bearing grease works well)
KY Yours and Mine Lube-just kidding, are you awake?
Bearing press/Hammer and 2x4/or a threaded rod with two nuts, and washers as big or bigger than the bearings as a ghetto bearing press
Rubber mallet
1.) Grease the surfaces in the frame where the bottom bracket rests as well as the bottom bracket itself.
2.) BEFORE attempting to put the bearings in you MUST install the spacer that is included in your bottom bracket kit. It is a sleeve that keeps the bearings at the proper distance from each other. I have forgotten it before, and a slew of wrecked tools, dead animals, and echoing profanity was left in my wake as I stormed out of the garage. Okay, so it’s not that big a deal, but you WILL have to remove the bearings and do the whole thing again if you forget.
3.) Push the greased bearings in as far as you can with your hands. They won’t go very far.
4.) Using the bearing press, hammer and a 2x4, or the homemade bearing press, press the bearings into the frame until the bearings are level with the frame. The reason for the 2x4 is so the pressure is equal and damage to the bearings is minimal
4.5.)Usually, the bearings being level with the frame does not mean they’re in all the way. They will probably slide another few millimeters when the cranks are tightened.
5.) Install the spindle (REMEMBER TO GREASE the bearing surfaces first). Some will just go in with a little kung-fu, but you may need a little encouragement from a rubber mallet. Do not be too concerned with how centered the axle is; it’s position will change with the crank installation
6.) Install the spacers and dust cap(s). The spacers and thin dust cap typically go on the non-drive side and the thicker dust cap on the drive side.
7.) Install the sprocket on your cranks, install your cranks (be sure the cranks are exactly parallel opposite from each other) and tighten the crank bolt(s). Alternate between the left and right side bolts frequently to insure proper spindle location. Crank bolts typically go to the exact torque of “wicked tight, but don’t break your allen wrenches Inch-pounds.”
8.) Check the distance of each of your crank arms from the frame. To obtain equal distance, remove and play around with spacers. But if you take a spacer out and the cranks will not tighten enough, you must replace that spacer…it keeps the crank arms from bottoming out.
9.) Get food. You’re hungry.
Euro bottom bracket installation-
Tools needed-
Rubber mallet
Grease (auto-parts again is good stuff)
1.) Follow every step in the process above, but please DO NOT try to pound Euro bottom brackets (they have threads) into anything. Bad fucking idea.
2.) When threading in, do not use an adjustable wrench right away. To avoid cross threading and having to chase (remake) your threads, thread the bottom bracket in by hand. The drive side bottom bracket is usually left-hand thread, so if it doesn’t seem to be going in Righty-tighty, don’t resort to the hammer yet PLEASE! Try threading it in counter-clockwise.
3.) Use an adjustable wrench to tighten them down. Tight.
4.) If your bb looks like it has little teeth in the cups you thread in, or is an external bb, send me a message with a close up pic of your bb and i will tell you what tool to buy to install and remove your bb.
4.) Get a fucking drink man there’s no fucking way you read all this shit and understood it all. Go get some chocolate milk.
***An added note on the homemade bearing press***
You can make one out of an old axle if you have one lying around. Just go to the hardware store and pick up a big ass washer that the center hole isnt larger than your axle nut and voila. Cheap, easier, and safer way to put your bearings in.
FRONT HUBS/REAR CASSETTE HUBS:
Front hubs are comprised of five main parts, the hub shell (or body), the axle, the locknuts/conewashers, axle nuts, and the bearings.
Rear hubs are comprised of 5 main parts the hub shell (or body), the axle, the locknuts/conewashers, the driver/freewheel/cog, and the axle nuts.
There are a million and a half different hubs out there and I’m not going to delve into the millions of differences between them all, and I quite simply don’t know everything about every hub on the market.
BEARINGS:
Bearings on hubs, like everything else on a bike come in two varieties, sealed cartridge bearings and unsealed (which can also be in a cage or just placed into the hub body and secured with the cone washer.
Installing sealed bearings in your front hub:
What you need: Grease
Bearings
Axle
Locknuts
Hub shell
1. Using your finger rub a small amount of grease around both the outside of your bearing and the inside of your hub.
2. Screw one of your locknuts onto your axle and place your bearing over top of it.
3. Stick it through the hub shell and place your other bearing onto the axle.
4. Start tightening the locknut down and the bearings will be pushed into the hub shell by the locknuts.
5. Be careful not to over tighten the locknuts or you will crush your bearings and have to buy new ones.
Installing unsealed bearings in your front hub:
What you’ll need: The same stuff as for sealed, but you’ll need your cone washers as well.
1. Using your finger rub a small amount of grease around both the outside of your bearing and the inside of your hub.
2. Screw one of your cone washers onto your axle
3. Place your bearings into the hub body on one side of the hub(if you have bearings that aren’t in a cage put enough grease in the hub shell that you can drop them into the hub and they’ll stick in place, try to push them all the way against the edge so none of them fall out when you screw your cone washer in.)
4. Put your axle in the hub.
5. Grease the other side of the hub, and put the bearings in the same way as before.
6. Screw your cone washers onto your axle.
7. If you have locknuts as well put those on now.
INSTALLING BEARINGS IN YOUR REAR HUB:
It’s the same as the front hub, you just have a driver to put in on one side or you screw on a freewheel.
REMOVING YOUR DRIVER:
What you need: Cone wrenches or crescent wrenches
Allen keys if your axle is designed for it.
1. Remove your wheel from your bike.
2. Remove your locknut .
3. Pull out your driver.
4. If your driver doesn’t come out easily the bearings are more than likely compressed on your axle. To get it out you can either find a way to pry it out, or you can take your locknut and cone washer off the other side and hit your axle with a hammer or mallet and it should pop out.
REMOVING STUCK LOCKNUTS: If your locknut or cone washer is stuck this is an easy way to get it off if you don’t have access to an axle vise. Usually when this happens, one side will come off really easy and the other will be stuck.
What you need: Cone wrenches or crescent wrenches
Axle nuts
1. Screw the locknut that came off back on to the axle.
2. Put a cone/crescent wrench on it.
3. Screw the axle nut onto the axle all the way until it is tight against the crescent wrench.
4. Put the crescent/cone wrench on the lock nut on the other and unscrew it. The other locknut will unscrew until it hits the axle nut and then you will be able to torque down on the stuck one without the axle spinning.
5. If this doesn’t work your going to have to take it to a shop so they can use an axle vise on it.t
MAKING YOUR HUB LOUDER OR QUIETER:
**NOTE** This is not advised because it will shorten the life of your hub.
But there are two ways to make it louder, you can take all of the grease out of your hub, or you can tighten the spring down on the pawls.
Wheel building and wheel truing
Wheel building
I have no experienced in this so I am going to refer you to some videos and web sites that can explain it better then I ever could.
Wheel building videos
Part 1
Part 2
Wheel building web sites
These are for you less visual learners that like to read more then watch.
http://www.tenpackbmx.com/...eel_Building_101.pdf
http://sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html
Truing
In short to true all you do is loosen and tighten spokes. Finding out which spokes you tighten and loosen and by how much is the tricky part. Truing is a very time consuming process, which the more times you do it the easier it will become. No matter which method you use you will do the same thing to true you wheel.
First you will find out to which side the wheel is wobbling too. If the wheel wobbles to the left you tighten the spokes on the right then if need be you also loosen spokes on the left just slightly and vice versa. You will only want to turn the spoke about a half turn each time because the spoke could twist and you don’t want that. TAKE YOUR TIME.
Normally you would want and truing stand to do this but there are other ways. Some common ways to check to see if you wheel is true is to use your brakes as guides. We all know most of us don’t run brakes anymore so what else can we use? I will try to explain some of the other things we can use and how to use them. You can use zip ties, markers and you can even build your own truing stand.
Zip ties
Okay, for this you will want to get some zip ties. They will act as you indicator and help you figure to which side the wheel wobbles. You will just put them on your forks so the end is near the wheel.
If the wheel wobbles to the left you tighten the spokes on the right then if need be you also loosen spokes on the left just slightly and vice versa
Marker
1. Get a marker
2. Spin the wheel
3. Slowly move the marker towards the wheel using the forks as a brace.
4. As soon as it touches the wheel you remove it.
5. It should leave a nice mark where you wheel is out of true.
6. Find the mark and tighten the spoke on the other side of the wheel and loosen the spokes on the marked side of the wheel.
7. Repeat on both sides of the until it’s completely true
Home made truing stands.
For the people that want something a little permanent then Zip Ties but don’t want to spend a bunch of money on a truing stand.
Forks and a vice
What you will need
1. Vice
2. Zip ties or anything else that you want to use as the indicator
3. Old forks
I could tell you how to build it but it would be easier to just show you a picture
Here is a link to another one.
http://www.instructables.com/id/S8T2I8KFCEIJ24L/
Please message me if you think if something should be changed or added to it.
PUTTING TOGETHER YOUR BIKE
Tech Tips
http://www.odysseybmx.com/techcorner/