Basic Maintenance Flashcards
Why is it essential to check your bike before heading out on a ride?
To ensure safety and avoid delays due to parts failure
Regular checks can also prevent injury risks associated with riding a poorly maintained bike.
What should you be able to do if you don’t always have a mechanic with you?
Take the wheels off and put them back on
This skill is important for transporting your bike and handling minor issues like flat tires.
What basic maintenance can enhance the enjoyment of each ride?
Keeping the chain and a few other parts clean
Regular cleaning contributes to the bike’s overall performance.
What is the focus of the chapter’s maintenance procedures?
Three cleaning and maintenance procedures that are easy to perform
These procedures are fundamental to keeping your bike running smoothly.
What is recommended for home mechanics in this chapter?
Read ‘Performing Mechanical Work’
This section provides essential knowledge for bike maintenance.
What tools are required for the work in this chapter?
No special tools beyond level 1
Basic tools are sufficient for performing the maintenance tasks.
What should you check regarding the quick-release (QR) levers or axle nuts?
Ensure they are tight
This secures the front and rear hub axles to the dropouts.
What should you check for excessive or uneven wear on brake pads?
Pad material thickness and groove wear
For disc brakes, the pad material should be at least the thickness of a dime.
How should you verify that the brakes are securely mounted?
Grab and twist the caliper or brake pads
Ensure all bolts are tight to confirm secure mounting.
What should happen when you squeeze the brake levers with rim brakes?
Pads should flat against the rims without hitting the tires
For disc brakes, pads should contact the rotor.
What should you check for after squeezing the levers to the handlebars?
Brake-cable tension adjustment and hydraulic disc-brake bleeding
Refer to sections 10-2 and 10-4 for brake-cable tension adjustment or 10-22 for hydraulic disc-brake bleeding.
What is the proper tire pressure range for most mountain bike tires?
30 to 60 pounds per square inch (psi)
Tubeless tires can run below 30 psi; fat-bike tires typically require 5-8 psi.
What should you check for on the tires?
Excessive wear, cracking, or gashes
What should you ensure about the handlebar and stem?
They are tight and the stem is lined up with the front tire
What indicates that the gears are functioning properly?
The chain should not skip or shift by itself, and each click of the shifter moves the chain over one sprocket
How often should the chain be replaced on a mountain bike?
Every 500 to 1,000 miles of off-road riding or every 2,000 miles of paved riding
What should you do after applying the front brake?
Push the bike forward and backward to check the headset for tightness and clunking noises
What is required for transporting your mountain bike easily?
The ability to remove the front wheel
What is the first step to releasing the brake for wheel removal?
Release the brake
What happens if you squeeze the lever of a hydraulic disc brake without a disc or travel spacer?
The pistons can pop out too far, making it difficult to get the rotor back between the pads
How do most rim brakes allow the tire to pass?
By having a mechanism to release the brake arms so they spring away from the rim
Fill in the blank: Most cantilever brakes are released by pulling the enlarged head of the _______ cable out of a notch.
straddle
What is the process for detaching a wheel with a quick-release skewer?
- Pull outward on the quick-release lever
- Unscrew the nut on the opposite end until it clears the wheel-retention tabs
- Pull the wheel off
True or False: You need a tool to detach a wheel with a quick-release skewer.
False
What do most mountain bike forks have to prevent the wheel from falling out?
A wheel-retention system consisting of nubs or bent tabs on the fork ends
What are through-axles?
Extra-long hub axles that fit directly through the hub-cartridge bearings and screw or clamp directly into the dropouts.
What is the diameter of front through-axles?
Generally 15mm or 20mm.
What benefits do through-axles provide compared to quick-release skewers?
- Stiffen the fork against lateral and twisting flex
- Higher degree of safety against the wheel falling out
- Improved tracking and steering
- Smoother up-and-down action
True or False: A through-axle is necessary on an ‘upside-down’ fork.
True
What is the role of a through-axle in an upside-down fork?
It ties the lower legs of the fork together.
What are the common traits of through-axle systems?
- Axle comes as a part of the fork
- 15mm through-axle hubs have the same inside diameter of bearings
- Same position of the disc-brake rotor relative to caliper mounting tabs
Describe the traditional through-axle.
Resembles a long bolt that clamps into the fork’s dropouts, with a head that is too large to pass through the hub bearings.
What is the function of pinch bolts in a traditional through-axle?
They tighten the dropouts around the ends of the axle once it is fully installed.
How does a quick-release through-axle operate?
It has a lever that releases the axle and can be used to screw the axle in or out of the dropout.
What is the procedure to remove a quick-release through-axle?
Flip open the lever fully and rotate counterclockwise to unscrew the axle.
What is the first step to remove a traditional draw-bolt through-axle?
Loosen the clamp bolts or levers securing the bolt head.
What is the typical tool used to unscrew axle nuts?
A 15mm wrench.
Fill in the blank: The nuts on the axle ends unscrew _______.
counterclockwise
What must be done before pulling the wheel out with axle nuts?
Loosen the nuts enough to clear the retention tabs on the dropouts.
What is the first step to detach a wheel on a Cannondale Lefty fork?
Remove the disc brake caliper.
What tools are commonly required to unscrew the axle bolt on a Cannondale Lefty fork?
A 5mm or 6mm hex key.
What should be greased during the reinstallation of the wheel?
Bearing seats on the axle
This ensures smooth operation of the wheel.
How should the front wheel be installed with a disc brake?
Lower the dropouts onto the hub ends and align the brake caliper with the rotor
Ensure the rotor does not dislodge either pad.
What is the proper action when installing a front wheel with rim brakes?
Leave the brake open and lower the fork onto the wheel
This allows the bike’s weight to seat the axle fully into the fork.
What should you ensure about the axle ends when installing a wheel?
They are fully seated in the dropouts
This is critical for the stability and safety of the bike.
What is a common feature of older through-axle forks?
They may not have lips on the medial sides of the dropouts
This requires manual alignment of the hub, axle, and dropouts.
What is the first step in tightening a quick-release skewer?
Hold the quick-release lever in the open position
After finger-tightening the opposite-end nut, what should you do next?
Push the lever over to the closed position
The lever should be at a 90-degree angle to the axle.
What indicates that the quick-release lever is properly closed?
It leaves an imprint on your palm
This means sufficient hand pressure was applied.
What should you do if the quick-release lever does not close tightly enough?
Open the lever, tighten the end nut one-quarter turn, and close it again
What is the final position of the quick-release lever after proper tightening?
Pointing straight up or toward the back of the bike
What is the first step in installing a through-axle?
Slide the wheel into the fork, aligning the rotor between the pads of the disc-brake caliper
How do you tighten a QR15 axle into the fork leg?
Use the quick-release lever as a handle to tighten the axle
What should you do if the quick-release lever does not point up after adjustment?
Adjust the thread by removing the fixing screw and triangular washer
Fill in the blank: The quick-release lever should take a firm push to flip it into the _______.
tightened position
True or False: The quick-release skewer is simply a glorified wing nut.
False
What should you do to check the tightness of the axle after installation?
Try to knock the wheel out by banging on top of the tire
What is the purpose of adjusting the QR lever?
To ensure optimal tension when in the straight-up position.
What shape does the Manitou QR15 HexLock through-axle have?
Hex shape on either end.
How should the axle be oriented when installing the Manitou QR15?
Laser-etched instructions facing up, toward the handlebar.
What should you do if the lever requires insufficient pressure to close?
Flip the lever open, unscrew the adjustment ring counterclockwise, and flip the lever back up.
What is the first step for tightening a screw-in through-axle?
Tighten the axle with a hex key or Torx key of the appropriate size.
What is the recommended tightening torque for steel bolt-on skewers?
65 inch-pounds.
What is the recommended tightening torque for titanium bolt-on skewers?
85 inch-pounds.
When tightening axle nuts, what is the recommended method?
Alternate sides, snugging up the nuts bit by bit until tight.
Is there a need to tighten disc brakes after putting in the wheel?
No, because they weren’t loosened to remove the wheel.
What is the first step to reconnect rim brakes?
Hook up the brake cable.
What should you do to check the brakes after reconnecting?
Squeeze the lever and ensure the cable doesn’t slip.
What should you do if a brake pad rubs the rim?
Adjust spring tension in the arms or hold the rim centered when securing the hub.
What is the first step in removing the rear wheel?
Shift the chain onto the smallest rear cog.