Art’s Cyclery Blog

Welcome to our Ask a Mechanic column where our expert mechanic Daniel Slusser answers your bike maintenance questions. If you have a question for Daniel, please post it on our Facebook Wall or e-mail Daniel directly at daniel.slusser@artscyclery.com.

Question: Can I use Shimano outboard bearing bottom bracket cups from a Dura-Ace road crank on my Shimano XT mountain cranks? They look like they are the same, so it should work right?  From: Carl

Answer: Looks can be deceiving Carl. Much like the lady at the local watering hole that looked great until your sobriety returned, bike parts often promise compatibility by beguiling us with their fancy labels and comely machined edges, only to disappoint us when they are fully assembled. This is one of those cases.

Looks can be deceiving - these Dura Ace BB cups won't work with mountain cranks, even though they may look compatible.

This is why calipers can be a mechanic’s best friend. When applied to the parts in question, the calipers revealed that the road cups are too narrow to work with mountain cranks. Resist the temptation to simply add spacers behind the cups to shim them to the correct width. If you do this there will not be enough threads left on the cup to safely engage the bottom bracket shell threads in your frame. Avoid the heartbreak of destroying a frame by attempting to save $30 on the correct bottom bracket.

Just because some of you readers may be wondering if a mountain bottom bracket will work with a road crank, the answer to that question is also, “No.” It is too wide and will ruin your chainline while leaving an unsafe amount of spline interface between the bottom bracket spindle and the left crank arm.

Pay no heed to the siren song of rigged compatibility between components and you will be a happy man Carl.

Question: What is the deal with tire width measurements? Many manufacturers claim to make tires that are the same width but there is a huge discrepancy in width from one brand to another. How do I know which tires are marked correctly without mounting them?  From: Brandon

Answer: Humans are prone to exaggeration. This is especially true when it comes to lengths and widths. Just ask any of our buddies at Tackle Warehouse how big the bass was they caught last weekend! Or, just ask your girlfriend what dress size she wears for a reverse of the bass example! Tires tend to follow the bass model.

However, exaggeration is only one part of the problem. Rim width, tire manufacturing variances, air pressure, tubeless vs. tubed installation, the age of the tire, and even the design of the rim’s bead hook will have an effect on tire width. For example a Continental Grand Prix 700x23c is true to size when mounted on a standard 19mm wide road rim. But put the same tire on a wide Hed Belgium rim, and the width grows to around 28! The profile increases as well, though not as dramatically. Tires that are mounted tubeless have a greater tendency to stretch after they have been installed for a month or so. Mountain tires can grow as much as 10mm due to casing stretch (tubed tires stretch too, it just takes much longer). Then there is the issue with mountain tires of whether the manufacturer is measuring the casing width or the knob width. Each manufacturer does it differently. With some tires the knobs are the widest part of the tire, and in others it is the casing.

Unfortunately, the only way to really know a tire’s width is to mount the tire on a rim and measure it. That is why we are mounting tires and taking our own measurements and posting them in the product description so that you don’t have to. We use standard width rims to best approximate what most of our customers use. Specifically, we use a WTB Laser TCS trail rim with a 21mm inner width and inflate the tires to 32 psi. If your rim is wider or narrower, take the difference between our rim width and yours and multiply it by .75 and you will get the approximate difference in tire width for your application. We also use tubes to take these measurements because it is impractical to do a tubeless mounting for every tire we carry since we would have to give away the test tire after it was coated in sealant. Plus there is the time delay issue of tire stretch that would require us to age each tire before measuring. A safe approximation is to add 5mm (~ 0.2”) to our measurement of the width of any mountain tire that you plan to mount tubeless.

Some basic generalizations that apply to tire width by manufacturer are as follows: Michelin and WTB tires run narrow. Specialized, Schwalbe, and Continental tires generally run true to size with respect to width but tend to have a tall profile. Maxxis mountain tires are now true to size after being narrow for many years. Just remember that these are all generalizations and that some tire models within these brands don’t fit the stereotype. The WTB 2.4 Mutano Raptor is a prime example, as they tend to be true to size. Oftentimes manufacturers will describe tires as being “high volume.” This tends to refer to the profile rather than the tread or casing width. High volume tires offer a cushier ride and better traction in the rough stuff. We will let you know in our description if this claim is true or not, or if the manufacturer should have claimed it but didn’t.

In the end though, it isn’t about how big your tires are; it is how you ride them that matters!

Daniel Slusser is a professional bicycle mechanic with over ten years of experience. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from HSU and a master’s degree in history from Cal Poly University. When he is not riding, wrenching, or writing he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children.

Evan Ask a Mechanic

Welcome to our Ask a Mechanic column where our expert mechanic Daniel Slusser answers your bike maintenance questions. If you have a question for Daniel, please post it on our Facebook Wall or e-mail Daniel directly at daniel.slusser@artscyclery.com.

Question: I weigh about 230lbs and wanted to “ride some weight off.” On my very first time out – new tires and all, I had a flat and have since been shy about riding because I just don’t care to change a flat every trip. Aside from carrying a repair kit – which I did – is there a reliable preventative measure I could take in the future? From: Jim

Answer: Given your weight, you have a high likelihood of incurring pinch-flats or snakebites. The term snakebite comes from the twin holes made in an innertube when it is pinched between the road and your rim.

The Hardshell casing on the Gatorskin wraps further into the sidewall and an extra-wide PolyX Breaker covers the entire tread strip from shoulder-to-shoulder.

If the source of your flats is from a foreign object puncturing the tire then the same armored tires that I recommended for you should help to ward off this type of problem as well.

There are two ways to avoid this type of flat. One is to use high air pressure. In your case 115-120 psi would be good. The other way to prevent this type of flat is to use an armored tire. While there are a plethora of armored tires on the market, the ones you need have an armored sidewall as well as an armored tread. Examples of this type of tire include, but are not limited to, Continental Gatorskin Hardshell tires and the Schwalbe Ultremo DD HD tire. The thicker sidewall found in these tires will cushion and protect your innertube when it is pinched. Downhill mountain bike tires have used this type of protection for over a decade to prevent the same problem.

The nuclear option for flat prevention is to switch to road tubeless. The beauty of road tubeless is that they can’t pinch flat unless you nail them hard enough to destroy your rim too. Even better when you get a puncture, the foreign object seals the hole until it is removed. When it is removed, there is sealant waiting to seal the tire so you can keep rolling. Lastly, tubeless road tires handle better than all of the armored tires offering more grip and a much smoother ride.

Whichever solution you choose, ride hard and watch out for those snakes!

Question: I want to shed some weight on my mountain bike but I don’t have a lot of money to do it. The other challenge is that I don’t want to give up reliability or performance. Any suggestions?  From: Bill

Answer: You sound like a hard guy to please Bill, but that doesn’t mean I won’t try to. What can I say; sometimes a guy just wants everything. I know I do! Well, I have good news for you because your seemingly impossible desire is actually achievable. In fact, I think I can improve the performance of your bike with some of these relatively inexpensive suggestions.

Every weight weenie knows that taking weight off your wheels is the best way to improve a bike’s handling while making the climbs significantly easier (or, faster and just as hard if you are into that). This does not mean you need to drop two grand on a carbon wheelset to drop some weight, although to quote Ferris Beuller, “If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.”

I bet I can actually drop a half-pound off of your bike for under $20. Just switching to ultra light tubes can take around 100g off of each wheel without any sacrifice in performance. Many old school riders will tell you that ultra light tubes are unreliable but I have experienced no degradation in reliability with them. Let’s be honest with ourselves here. If a thorn gets through a 0.5mm thick tube, it will get through 1.0mm thick tube also.

A lightweight tire like the Schwalbe Racing Ralph will shed grams without sacrificing grip.

If you already have tubeless rated tires and are using tubes, you can drop between 50-100g per wheel by converting to tubeless. This typically involves just adding some sealing tape to the rim and an aftermarket tubeless valve. Check out this blog I posted a while back for tubeless compatibility issues. This weight loss solution costs less than $30 and will dramatically improve both reliability and traction.

Another option is to switch to lighter tires whether they be tubeless or tubed tires. Schwalbe makes a number of light tires that have outstanding grip for their weight. A pair of tires will run you $130. This may sound like a lot but compared to the price of a new wheelset they are a steal. When you factor in the improved grip and the fact that you can save a comparable amount of weight by switching tires rather than switching wheels and using your old tires, the choice is a no-brainer.

So there is some food for thought that will hopefully satiate your hunger for a lighter steed. Keep the rubber side down and ride in peace my friend.

Daniel Slusser is a professional bicycle mechanic with over ten years of experience. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from HSU and a master’s degree in history from Cal Poly University. When he is not riding, wrenching, or writing he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children.

Evan Ask a Mechanic

With any luck the industry will start working together to come up with fewer standards we can all share rather than the mess of competing standards we have today. If not, we will just have to follow the example of Look and have each frame manufacturer come up with a frame specific crank. I would prefer the former to the latter, but realize the chances of the former actually happening are slim.

Remember: Even though SRAM and Shimano cranks both use 24mm spindles, they are very different. SRAM GXP spindles step down on the non-drive side. The other key difference is that SRAM GXP cranks are tightened down on the non-drive bearing only, while Shimano cranks press on the outer race of both bearings. These differences require different adaptor solutions in nearly all cases. Make sure you have the right adaptor for your application especially if it is for SRAM. Lastly, I advise home mechanics to avoid SRAM GXP crank adaptors that require installation of a sleeve to be installed on the stepped down GXP spindle to work in a bottom bracket or adaptor that is primarily made for Shimano applications. This type of adaptor is trickier to install and is not worth the headache, especially if you don’t have a lot of mechanical experience.

Question: I’m trying to mount a Shimano Dura-Ace crank on a BBRight equipped Cervelo S5. Is there an adaptor or specific bottom bracket available to make it work? From: Scott

Enduro (ABI) makes an adapter to mount Shimano cranks to the BBright frame design on the S5.

Answer: Enduro (ABI) makes the adaptor you need. It is a press-in reducer type that uses the existing BBRight/PF30 bottom bracket and just reduces the bearing bore down to 24mm while adding the extra width needed for a Shimano crank. Unfortunately this part is only available from Cervelo at the moment, which means you need to work with an authorized Cervelo dealer to get them (fortunately, we are an authorized dealer). Hopefully it will be available from distributors soon.

Question: I have a PressFit 30 bottom bracket on my 2012 Specialized Stumpy hardtail and I want to install SRAM X9 GXP cranks on it. I know I need some sort of SRAM specific adaptor but I can’t find anything except adaptors that are made for Shimano cranks. Is there anything out there, or do I just need to fork out for a BB30 crank? From: Jack

This adapter allows you to use a standard BSA (GXP or otherwise) BB in a PF30 frame.

Answer: The best solution I have found so far for your situation is made by SRAM. It is a SRAM PressFit 30 to English Bottom Bracket adaptor (manufacturer’s part# 00.6415.049.010). This is a neat adaptor because it works for any PressFit 30 frame that is 68mm or 73mm wide. It uses standard English outboard bearing bottom bracket cups that thread into the adaptor. Just follow the included instructions for the correct number of spacers and the location of the wave washer for your specific application.

This adaptor also works for Shimano cranks, just use the outboard bearing bottom bracket spacers you would normally use in a frame with a standard English bottom bracket width that corresponds to your PF30 bottom bracket shell width (i.e. 68 or 73mm).

Below is a list of reliable adaptors for common applications:

Adaptors for BB30 frames to use 24mm spindle cranks

Rotor BB30 to BB24 Converter Bottom Bracket – This is a Shimano specific adaptor that places the bearings outboard of a BB30 frame in order to work just like a normal English bottom bracket would with outboard bearings threaded into it. However, with this one the bearings are pressed into the adaptor so no additional bottom bracket is required for use with this adaptor. This is the stiffest adaptor solution that I am aware of for BB30 frames.

Parlee makes a similar BB30 to English adaptor but with this one the two cups do not thread together to prevent the cups from moving within the frame or coming loose in a slightly oversized frame bottom bracket bore (but this is somewhat unlikely). This is also a Shimano only solution.

Wheels Manufacturing Bottom Bracket Adaptors – These adaptors are perhaps the easiest to use. They simply press into a standard BB30 bearing and reduce the bore to 24mm while extending the overall width to meet the standard required for Shimano, Race Face, FSA, or Rotor 24mm spindle cranks designed to work with English bottom brackets. SRAM GXP specific versions are also available.

Adaptors for PressFit 30 (PF30) frames for use with 24mm spindle cranks

SRAM PressFit 30 to English Bottom Bracket Adaptor (manufacturers part# 00.6415.049.010)–This is a neat adaptor because it works for any PressFit 30 frame that is 68mm or 73mm wide. It uses standard English outboard bearing bottom bracket cups that thread into the adaptor. Just follow the included instructions for use with a 24mm SRAM GXP crank for the correct application of spacers and wave washers.

For use with a Shimano crank, just use the spacers you would normally use in a frame with a standard English bottom bracket width of either 68mm or 73mm.

With these adapters, you can use any steel 24mm or GXP crank on any BB30 or PF30 frame.

Wheels Manufacturing Bottom Bracket Adaptors – These adaptors are very easy to use but as of Dec. 2011 they are only available for Shimano cranks. They simply press into a standard PF30 bottom bracket bearing and reduce the bore to 24mm while extending the overall width to meet the standard required for Shimano, Race Face, FSA, or Rotor 24mm spindle cranks designed to work with English bottom brackets.

Adaptors for BBRight frames for use with 24mm spindle cranks

Enduro (ABI) makes an adaptor that is a press-in reducer type that uses the existing BBRight/PF30 bottom bracket and just reduces the bearing bore down to 24mm while adding the extra width needed for a Shimano crank. Unfortunately, as stated above, this part is only available from Cervelo at the moment, which means you need to work with an authorized Cervelo dealer to get them.

There are currently no adaptors available to use SRAM GXP cranks in a BBRight frame without using a sleeve-type adaptor from another vendor in conjunction with the Enduro adaptor. I do not recommend using this kind of solution.

Hopefully this post has done more to clarify the issue at hand rather than confuse. But if you are still scratching your head, please feel free to shoot me an e-mail or post a question on our Facebook wall.

Daniel Slusser is a professional bicycle mechanic with over ten years of experience. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from HSU and a master’s degree in history from Cal Poly University. When he is not riding, wrenching, or writing he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children.

Evan Ask a Mechanic

Welcome to our Ask a Mechanic column where our expert mechanic Daniel Slusser answers your bike maintenance questions. If you have a question for Daniel, please post it on our Facebook Wall or e-mail Daniel directly at daniel.slusser@artscyclery.com.

Question: I have a new Cannondale SuperSix Evo 1 road bike and I want to upgrade the cable to a Gore Sealed system. This bike has internal cable routing for the rear brake. I’ve done some research on the Internet and it looks like it is really difficult to replace this cable. Any tips on how to do this? From: Jack

Answer: Internal cable routing is the bane of most mechanics’ existence. It doesn’t have to be though. Bike companies could fully line the internal routes of their frames with tubing to guide the cable through. They don’t do this because it costs more, is heavier, and engineers often lack the mechanical experience to foresee these types of issues during the design and production of a bike frame.

Gore's Professional System Brake Cables uses compression-less housing for crisp, immediate brake response.

Nevertheless, there is an easy solution that can help immensely in situations like yours. Just add in the liner tubing that the thoughtless bike company did not. Take a stretch of liner tubing such as the liners included in the Gore Sealed kit, and place this over the inner wire before pulling the wire out of the frame. Even if you are not going to use a sealed cable system, you can use this trick as an installation aid. If that is the case, once you get the new inner wire through the tubing, remove the tubing from the frame.

Now some of you are probably asking yourself, “Where do I get this tubing if I am not using a sealed kit?” You actually already possess the tubing you need! Just use the plastic liner of an old section of derailleur housing. To get to it use a knife or a pair of pliers to crack the outer sheath near one end. Then use needle nose pliers to grab onto one of the housing wires and peel it back like you would a banana. Once you peel it all the way to the end it will open up just like a banana peel and you will be left with just the tubing inside.

If I wrote these instructions clearly, following them should result in thousands of fewer four-letter-words uttered in anger. My work here is done. Press on in confidence home mechanics!

Daniel Slusser is a professional bicycle mechanic with over ten years of experience. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from HSU and a master’s degree in history from Cal Poly University. When he is not riding, wrenching, or writing he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children.

Evan Ask a Mechanic

Welcome to our Ask a Mechanic column where our expert mechanic Daniel Slusser answers your bike maintenance questions. If you have a question for Daniel, please post it on our Facebook Wall or e-mail Daniel directly at daniel.slusser@artscyclery.com.

Question: I have a brand new WTB Bronson TCS tire that I flatted on my first ride. It was a pinch flat that I got on a high-speed section of rocky trail. The tire was setup tubeless but the impact caused a tiny 2mm puncture right next to the bead and no matter how much sealant I put in the tire it won’t hold air. Is there a way I can save this tire? From: Kyle

Answer: Wow, you pinch flatted a tubeless tire!?! Kudos, my friend. You must have really been hauling the mail, or running far too low air pressure in your tire. Either way, you have something to be proud of, as this is a feat that is difficult to achieve.

To answer your question, there is an easy way to save your tire. Put a tube in it. There is no way to reliably patch a tire punctured near the bead. If the flat were somewhere else on the tire you would have a fighting chance at fixing it.

A GU packet can serve as a boot, just make sure it's empty.

Although I know the advice I am about to offer on how to patch a tubeless tire will not help you in this instance, I offer it anyway to help the many others that have suffered punctures in more normal locations.

First you’ll need something we call a “boot.” This is not to be confused with a different word pronounced the same way (a homophone) by our northern neighbors meaning “nearby, or concerning a given subject.” No, the boot I am referring to is a small scrap of material that is used as a patch. This material could be made of any number of items. The important thing is that your chosen boot is somewhat flexible, yet does not stretch easily. Common boot materials include American paper currency, energy gel wrappers, old bicycle tire sidewall casing material, discarded bulletproof vests, etc. Keep in mind that the larger the hole, the stiffer the boot needs to be to patch it effectively.

Simply take some inner tube patch cement or tubular tire glue and apply a thin layer to the area of the tire to be booted or patched. Do the same to the boot. Let the glue glaze over and become tacky while remaining slightly viscous. Then press the two together while working out any bubbles that may have formed during application. Make sure the edge of the boot adheres to the tire around the entire circumference of the boot. If it does not, don’t fret. Just apply more glue to the edges and work them by pressing the boot down with your fingers until it fully seals. Give the whole assembly a few hours to cure and you will be back living comfortably in the modern era of tubeless tires in no time flat (pun fully intended).

Daniel Slusser is a professional bicycle mechanic with over ten years of experience. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from HSU and a master’s degree in history from Cal Poly University. When he is not riding, wrenching, or writing he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children.

Evan Ask a Mechanic

Our weekly column is back, where our expert mechanic Daniel Slusser answers your bike maintenance questions. If you have a question for Daniel, please post it on our Facebook Wall or e-mail Daniel directly at daniel.slusser@artscyclery.com.

SRAM's Red Cassette is an exceptional component, but is notoriously loud.

Question: Hello Daniel, I need some advice from you if you don’t mind. I am using a Sram Red groupset and I’m having issues with noise coming from the rear derailleur. When I start riding, its o.k.; no sound whatsoever, but after about 10km the noise starts again and lasts until I reach home. It sounds like bearings without grease. I have dismantled the rear derailleur, checked the pulleys and serviced it, but it is still there. When the noise first started I thought it was coming from the rear wheel so I changed to another wheel and the noise is still there. Do you ever have this problem? Any idea what I should do? Should I replace it, it’s only three months old. I would appreciate any help. From: Ben

Answer: Ben, it sounds like this noise might be from the cassette. Sram Red cassettes are known to be very loud. The powerdome construction tends to amplify drivetrain noise like the horn on a Victrola. You might try using a Sram powerglide or any Shimano cassette.

If this is not the problem, the only other possible causes would likely be a poorly adjusted rear derailleur, bent or loose derailleur hanger, or an inadequately lubed chain. The chain one makes sense given that the problem starts only part way into a ride. Let me know if any of these solutions work for you.

Question: I am having a problem with the rear shifting on my Cervelo S1 with a full Ultegra SL group. I took it to my LBS and the mechanic diagnosed it as cable stretch and readjusted the tension. This seemed to fix the problem for about 1 ride, but after that the shifting went bad again. I checked the cable anchor bolt and it is tight, any idea what is wrong? From: Randy

Answer: Randy, I’m “a-frayed” that your cables need to be replaced (hint: your issue is likely due to worn or frayed cables). If there is a lot of drag at the shifter (resistance to the shifter moving) then the cables are worn and should be replaced. If there is little to no drag at the shifter, your cable could be coming apart inside the shifter. As each strand of wire breaks the cable gets longer and the tension goes down causing unreliable shifting. If this is what is happening, then you need to nip it in the bud before the cable snaps entirely and the frayed head is left jammed inside the shifter rendering it a dead, rigor mortised lump of gears.

Daniel Slusser is a professional bicycle mechanic with over ten years of experience. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from HSU and a master’s degree in history from Cal Poly University. When he is not riding, wrenching, or writing he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children.

Evan Ask a Mechanic

In this weekly column, our expert mechanic Daniel Slusser answers your bike maintenance questions. If you have a question for Daniel, please post it on our Facebook Wall or e-mail Daniel directly at daniel.slusser@artscyclery.com.

Question: I have always wanted to know how to true wheels. But the thought of wrecking a wheel has prevented me from experimenting with the process before receiving some instruction. Can you give me any tips to get me started?   From: Dave

Answer: So you want to reinvent the wheel? Don’t worry; truing wheels isn’t as hard as most people would have you believe. If you can tune a stringed instrument there is a strong probability that you can also true a wheel. But this is not a necessary prerequisite skill. The trick to truing wheels is to make small adjustments.

If you don’t want to invest in a truing stand you can use your brake caliper to do the work for you on a road bike. Simply adjust the barrel adjuster on the brake caliper so the pads are closer to the rim in order to better gauge how far off your wheel is. If you have a disc brake equipped mountain bike, you can use a zip tie wrapped around your seatstay or fork lowers for the same purpose. Just cut it short and use the tail as your gauge. As you work around the wheel you can rotate the zip tie so that the end of the tail moves closer to the rim as you progress with your wheel true. Now before truing any wheel, make sure your hub bearings are adjusted correctly. If the wheel wobbles at the axle and you try to true it, you won’t get anywhere with your wheel true.

This Truing Station from Feedback Sports will make the task at hand much easier.

To adjust the spokes just turn the nipples counter clockwise in order to tighten them and pull the rim toward the side you want it to go. If you need to pull the wheel right, tighten a spoke coming from the right hub flange in the offending area, and vice versa for left. Avoid turning a single nipple more than a quarter of a turn for the first 10 wheels you attempt to true. This will help to keep you out of trouble. Also, avoid loosening spokes opposite the ones you have tightened. Loosening spokes can lead to uneven spoke tension that can weaken your wheel, make other spokes break, or cause the entire wheel to de-tension.

Always start on the area of the wheel that is furthest out of true. Don’t worry about getting this area perfect. Just get it better than the next area that is out of true. Then move on to the new worst area. Continue to do this as you work your way around the wheel until you are done. This will keep adjustments small thereby preventing you from getting into trouble. More importantly, following this procedure will help to maintain more even spoke tension around the wheel.

Remember that all of the spokes work together to hold a wheel straight, round, and true. Much like a V8 engine that can still run with one cylinder not firing, a wheel can still function with areas of wildly uneven spoke tension. But, also like the misfiring V8, the wheel won’t work very well and will likely face a serious breakdown in the near future. So keep your adjustments small, start on the biggest problems first, and don’t let the tension get too uneven.

A practice wheel is also helpful. 32 or 36 spoke wheels are the easiest to learn on.

If you do get into trouble, just go to the best mechanic in your area and he or she will be able to get everything straightened out (pun fully intended) so just give it a shot!

Daniel Slusser is a professional bicycle mechanic with over ten years of experience. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from HSU and a master’s degree in history from Cal Poly University. When he is not riding, wrenching, or writing he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children.

Evan Ask a Mechanic

In this weekly column, our expert mechanic Daniel Slusser answers your bike maintenance questions. If you have a question for Daniel, please post it on our Facebook Wall or e-mail Daniel directly at daniel.slusser@artscyclery.com.

Question: I keep getting noise coming from my rear wheel. It’s a Hed 32 hole Belgium rim laced three cross to a Powertap hub. The spoke tension is nice and high and the whole combination is nearly new. I can’t figure out where the noise is coming from. Any ideas?  From: Alan

Answer: Ever heard the saying that “The squeaky wheel gets the grease?” A literal application of this metaphor is the way that most mechanics tackle this type of issue.

The first thing I would check is that your skewer is greased to prevent noise coming from the skewer and hub end caps rubbing together. It goes without saying that you want the skewer to be tight when closed on the bike. On your particular hub you have removable end caps that can move around where they interface the bearings and axle.

Next I would check the cassette. Make sure it is tight and that the freehub body is greased to help prevent noise that could come from the cogs rubbing against the body.

Use Phil Wood's Tenacious Oil where the spoke nipple meets the rim and to lubricate spoke intersections where they cross or meet the hub.

Another spot to check is where the spoke nipple meets the rim. I like to place a drop of heavy oil such as Phil Wood’s tenacious oil in this location. The oil helps to protect alloy nipples from scoring while keeping noise down. It also helps to prevent the nipples from ratcheting off of the spoke as cyclical loads are placed on it during every revolution.

You can use the same oil to lubricate the spoke intersections where they cross or meet the hub. Any place that you have metal on metal contact can cause noise so you may as well cover all of your bases.

Lastly, and I have a feeling this could be source of your noise; you may need to have your wheel built with brass spoke washers. These washers are placed under the head of the spoke and take up the slack between the j-bend and hub flange for cases when the j-bend is too long, the hub flange is too thin, or both. A sloppy fit here can cause creaking issues that I have experienced on wheels of my own. Unfortunately, this fix requires rebuilding the wheel.

With any luck one of the other fixes will solve the problem. If not, there is a vast number of wonderful high tech music playing devices available on the market these days…

Daniel Slusser is a professional bicycle mechanic with over ten years of experience. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from HSU and a master’s degree in history from Cal Poly University. When he is not riding, wrenching, or writing he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children.

Evan Ask a Mechanic

Question: My new XTR disc brakes are really howling. They seem to get worse at the end of a long descent. It’s really annoying. How do I fix it?    From: Sam

Sounds like your brakes are trying to tell you something. Howling new brakes are usually the result of either improper break in procedure or pad/rotor contamination. Either way, you will need new pads. Anytime you have new pads, rotors or both, a specific break-in procedure needs to be followed.

First, clean the rotor with rubbing alcohol and a clean rag. Make sure the new pads are free of oils and waxes. This means that you should never touch the braking surface of your rotors or pads! Anytime you get oil on your brake pads they need to be replaced. There are ways to mitigate contamination issues, but once pads are contaminated they are never the same afterward, so there is no use in reviewing these methods.

After getting everything installed, make several controlled stops on level ground or a slight downhill section of pavement. These stops should be initiated from a speed of 15mph or less. You don’t want to come to a complete stop however, just slow to about 2mph (walking speed) and repeat the process until brake power and consistency improve. Be sure to break in each brake separately so you can be sure that one isn’t compensating for the other. Don’t try to speed up the process by going down a big hill and trying to do this all in one shot. This will create the problem you are trying to avoid and glaze your pads making them chatter against the rotor.

One last thing that I like to do to help avoid noise problems is to chamfer the leading and trailing edges of the brake pad friction material on the grinder. This will help smooth pad contact with the rotor and cut down on noise.

Finally, pad material choice will have an impact on the noise issue as well. Organic pads tend to run quieter but are more easily damaged by high heat. So if you are a downhill ripper, chronic brake dragger or if you ride long, steep trails, then sintered or metallic pads are a better choice. They will be noisier under normal conditions, but it is nothing that can’t be handled by a rider with good mental health.

In the worst-case scenario that you can’t fix the noise, just think of your brakes as a horn to warn other trail users that you are headed their way. To borrow and modify a line from the Harley riding community, “Loud brakes save lives!”

Question: I’ve noticed that most of the bolts on my bike have grease applied to them but others have Loctite? Which parts require one or the other?    From: Matt

Park Polylube is a great all-purpose grease for use on metal-to-metal interfaces.

To grease, or not to grease? This is a valid and thoughtful question. The reason bicycle bolts are generally greased is to prevent seizing. Dissimilar metals have a tendency to corrode when in contact with each other. Most bolts on bicycles are steel and most components are aluminum. Even if you have a steel bolt in a steel frame, grease will help keep rust at bay by keeping out water and treating the metal at the same time. In addition to its anti-corrosive properties, grease helps lubricate the threads for easier turning and protects aluminum components with cut threads from stripping. Lastly, this lubrication prevents bolts from backing out. This is somewhat counterintuitive, but works because dry bolts have a tendency to “ratchet” themselves out of nuts that they aren’t seized to.

When working with titanium, anti-seize is a good choice as it provides greater protection against dissimilar metals bonding themselves to it. This mostly applies to titanium frames. Modern titanium bolts don’t seem to have these corrosion problems, however, and I have never had a seizing issue when using grease on them.

So which parts get Loctite? This is generally reserved for brake bolts, chainring bolts, and suspension pivot bolts. Just make sure that the metal is clean and free of grease or else the Loctite won’t hold. Also be sure to use the blue formula, which is non-permanent. I prefer the version that comes in a stick rather than a liquid, as it is easier to apply and stays put while I install the part.

My favorite alternative to Loctite is plumber’s Teflon tape. Just wrap the tape 3-4 times around the threads in a direction that will tighten the tape as the bolt is tightened. The tape functions like the nylon inserts in locking nuts, only in this case, the nylon is applied to the bolt. Plumber’s tape locks out water just like the other thread prep alternatives, but doesn’t act like glue that has to be broken in order to remove the bolt.

Daniel Slusser is a professional bicycle mechanic with over ten years of experience. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from HSU and a master’s degree in history from Cal Poly University. When he is not riding, wrenching, or writing he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children.

Evan Ask a Mechanic

This is the fifth edition of a column we’re running here at Art’s Cyclery where our expert mechanic Daniel Slusser answers your bike maintenance questions.

If you have a question for Daniel, please post it on our Facebook Wall or e-mail Daniel directly at daniel.slusser@artscyclery.com.

Question: How often do you recommend replacing your drive train components? From: Keith

This is a good question with a relatively straightforward answer. While there is no hard and fast mileage recommendation for this (too many variables including terrain, rider weight and strength, shifting preferences, compact vs. standard, etc.), there are quantitative indicators available to guide your decisions on this issue.

Use the Park CC-2C chain checker tool to monitor chain wear.

Buy a chain wear checking tool so that you can stay on top of chain wear, as this is the main cause of drivetrain damage. Of the many chain checking tools available, I’ve used the Park CC-2 the most over the years. Using this particular tool, I typically don’t recommend replacement until the wear value reaches 0.7. Earlier replacement than this seems to be overkill since some new chains can measure as high as 0.5. With that said, after the wear reaches 0.9 it could be too late.

Once a chain is stretched beyond a certain point the teeth on your cogs and chainrings will be worn to match the new increased distance between pins on your worn chain. Sometimes this can be diagnosed visually by inspecting the chainring teeth for a shark fin shape. On the cassette the teeth will simply look too thin front to back. Another test is to pull the rear brake while applying pressure to the pedals while watching to see how much the chain climbs up the teeth. However, each of these visual tests often requires a trained eye to properly diagnose.

The only sure way to know if the cassette and chainrings need to be replaced is to install a new chain and see if it skips over the teeth under a load. When testing this be sure to do it at less than a few miles per hour while riding the brakes as a skipping chain at high speed can be very dangerous.

If your chain skips after replacement, make sure your b-tension screw on your rear derailleur is adjusted correctly. You want the derailleur to be as close to the cogs as possible without the upper pulley wheel touching the largest cog or positioned higher than the bottom of the big cog. Decreasing the distance between the upper pulley and big cog will increase chain wrap around the cog improving engagement and thereby prevent skipping. Correct adjustment here will also improve your shifting and drivetrain life dramatically.

If this doesn’t cure the problem and you don’t have the cash to replace the chainrings and cassette, then put your old chain back on and keep riding with it until the shifting deteriorates to a point that you can’t stand it anymore. Hopefully by that time you will have enough scratch to cover the needed repairs.

Last but not least, lube your chain! This is a simple thing you can do to prolong the life of all your drivetrain components and have a quieter running bike. Don’t be the guy on the group ride with the bike that sounds like a squeaky hamster wheel!

Question: My front derailleur never works right. It won’t downshift consistently and when it does, it drops the chain. How do I fix this? From: Joe

Nearly everyone struggles with front derailleurs including many professional mechanics. However, they are actually fairly easy to set up. There are only 4 adjustment parameters for a front derailleur: position, high and low limits, and cable tension. The secret to getting them right is to set them in the right order.

First, position the front derailleur the outer cage plate so it is between 1-3mm above the largest tooth of the largest chainring (I like to stay near the lower end of the adjustment range). Make sure the outer cage is parallel to the outer ring.

Chain catchers have become commonplace in the Pro Peloton and can actually enhance downshift performance.

Next, set your low limit adjustment (screw that is marked “L” ). Put the chain in the largest cog and smallest chainring. Release the cable anchor and let the cable dangle. If you have a road bike, adjust the limit so the inner portion of the derailleur cage is as close as possible to the chain without touching it. This will prevent the chain from falling off of the inside of the small chainring. If you have a mountain bike, adjust it so that the chain is positioned one third of the way between the inner cage plate and the outer cage plate. If you are confused, the chain should be closer to the inner plate than the outer.

Now set the cable tension. This will adjust where the derailleur ends up on the next shift. Pull the cable tight and anchor it to the cable anchor. Perform some test shifts. You want the front derailleur to shift up to the next chainring and have the inner plate end up as close to the chain as possible while in the largest cog out back. This will ensure that you have proper clearance between the chain and the outer plate of the derailleur when you are at the other end of the cassette.

All that remains is the high limit adjustment (screw marked “H”). With the chain shifted to the smallest cog make sure the front derailleur has about 1-2mm of clearance between the outer plate and the chain in this gear. Do a lot of test shifts to make sure that you don’t throw the chain off to the outside. If you do, then tighten the outer limit screw until this doesn’t happen anymore.

You are done! That wasn’t so bad was it? There are a lot of products on the market these days that aid in front derailleur setup. The most popular of these is the K-Edge chain catcher. With one of these installed you can adjust your inner limit screw out a bit to make downshifts a little easier. You don’t have to worry about dropping the chain with one of these so take advantage of the improved shifting performance that is available with them instead of using them only as insurance against a dropped chain.

Daniel Slusser is a professional bicycle mechanic with over ten years of experience. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from HSU and a master’s degree in history from Cal Poly University. When he is not riding, wrenching, or writing he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children.

Evan Ask a Mechanic