cycle squad: assemble!
coffee squad are not welcome, unless they also cycle - in which case, assemble!!
I've broken a spoke. The Bike Doctor says it's a big deal. I don't think it's a big deal? But what I'm really interested in is what you think about it?
I also need a new chain and a new cable. He quoted me about £60 for it all, including labour. Is that a bit much. I could probably do it all myself couldn't I? Could I?
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never busted (or fixed) a spoke
if its just the one it doesnt seem such a big job. if youve got the tools fixing a new chain is easy.. as is the new cable.
that said if you cant be arsed £60 is probably fair price.
time/effort=value
what tools do i need?
I have fingers and hands, that should be enough, right?
this should do it
http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?hl=en-GB&q=bike+chain+tool&gbv=2&safe=active&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=15277360143576594755&sa=X&ei=62QbUZPTJKag0QW9woHoBg&ved=0CB4Q8wIwAA#
although as rich-t mentions you can get clip together chains (never heard of them before!)
using a chain puller is a right pain in the arse
Everything needs to be lined up correctly for the rod to push the link out. Putting it back in is even harder.
There's a company called KMC is think that make powerlink chains. I seem to remember my last one costing £16. Put it round the chainring and the rear mech and snap together.much easier that getting a tool out.
You might still need a chain tool if the chain is too long.
I bought a KMC single speed chain a couple of months ago and had to take a link out of it before it fitted.
maybe i've been lucky then
Hate using chain tools
A broken spoke will become more and more of a big deal as time goes on.
In itself, you'll probably survive ok for a bit with a broken spoke, but it means that the tension on the out wheel rim is no longer distributed evenly, meaning more pressure on the other spoke to accomodate for it. This will eventually lead to more spokes bending/breaking, and the wheel buckling or going wobbly.
You can change the chain yourself easlily enough. The cable too probably, but it's one of those things where, when i'm hurtling down a hill and the brakes are critical, do I trust myself enough to have done a good enough job that I know it's not going to fuck up and get myself killed. The answer is usually no!
£60 sounds a little expensive to me, but not by much.
^this
A new chain might cost you £20, but make sure you get one that's the right amount of gears. A 9 speed chain will be wider than a 10 or an 11 speed chain. Also get one with a power link as they are dead easy to use, don't need a chain puller and just snap together easily.
I'd get the spoke replaced otherwise you'd need a new wheel in a month and I'd get them to do the cable as well. I pay £50 for a full service, clean, new cables brake pads ect and labour. So £60 sounds right.
thanks chaps
It's not my bike, I've had it on loan from a mate for about a year so I probably should get the spoke sorted. Otherwise i probably wouldnt bother.
Didnt realise chains would be more complicated than just popping a new one on. Good to know that at £60 I'm not being ripped off though
How do you break a spoke? Idiot.
My back brake doesn't work and of the 24 gears on my bike, only 3 of them don't jam. Oh, and the reflector has fallen off the back wheel.
Speeding I say spokey dokey
Speeding I say spokey dokey
Speeding I say spokey dokey
Speeding I say spokey dokey
Hope this helps.
your site is really helping me a lot
glad this came up, got a question for you
I had a flat tyre, replaced it with a new tube but now the wheel wobbles sightly (not side to side but is slightly bulging).
Its not the tube being pinched or twisted, as I've let the air out twice and re-seated it and checked all round the rim on both sides for twisting or pinching. Even removed the whole tube and tyre and put them back on again from scratch.
The problem is that too much of the tyre is sitting inside the rim, as if the beading wont catch properly, I cant work or massage it back to its proper shape.
The rim actually goes over the top of the red guide line on the tyre, on about 10% of the tyre radius.
I know there's a great double entendre/pun situation staring me in the face here too but can't be arsed to put the effort in sorry, too angry.
whats the question..? how to fix?
whenever thats happened to me Ive just started from the start again.. seemed to do the trick
I have twice
still no luck
PS - sorry OP
replacing a chain is easy, but you need a chain removal tool, they are quite cheap.
Brake Cable is easy to do yourself, gears not so much...
Youtube is your friend for both of those problems.
Get the spoke fixed ASAP though, will get more expensive the longer you leave it.
oh yeah, should have said it's a gear cable
I'll get a pro to do it
is the inner tube the correct size for the wheel/tyre combination?
yes
same one Ive always used
but good thinking
I might get laughed right out of lycratown for this
but yesterday I signed up for the Halfords service plan.
£19.99 a year, including one interim service (cables tensioned, etc etc etc) and one "Gold" service, which is a complete rebuild with grease, new cables and bearings included (more expensive parts not included) plus free labour on any repairs throughout the year.
Given that I'm always hassling my bike tinkering colleague to check my work and I don't trust my repairs, this seems like a good deal.
£20 sounds incredible value! A bit too incredible...
A standard service in a bike shop is around £50, or around £90 for a full service where they take the bike apart completely, check everything and rebuild it.
Still, for £20 you haven't got much to lose.
got a lot of time for Halfords
great bunch of shop assistants
^this goes against everything I've ever heard about Halfords
other than my back wheel falling off after a service
I have nothing but praise for Halfords. Been given a lot of free shit over the years
That sounds like really decent value.
the free labour on repairs bit is good enough for me
if I can watch them do various jobs, I'll learn it for myself.
how many spokes are there in the wheel with the broken spoke?
the more there are the less of a worry it is at the moment
but you will need to check the others are all tensioned correctly
dunno man
there's millions of them...that's why i thought 1 broken one wouldn't be a big deal