gear and chain service
2wheelsonit
Posts: 72
Having bought a used bike in great condition i decided to give the chain and gears a good clean as they were a little oily/gritty
Fortunately the chain has a powerlink so was off in seconds with no tools required. I cleaned this in white spirit by shaking it around in a bottle and then changing fluid and repeating (warning i wouldn't recommend a glass bottle as the chain kinks whilst being shook around making it impossible to get out of the bottle opening meaning i had to cut the bottle open when finished)
I hung the cleaned chain on the line to dry and then removed the jockey wheels from the Sram x7 these were also sounding a little gritty in their rotation i removed the caps from each side of the jockey wheels and cleaned them both thoroughly - the bearings seemed to be sealed but the movement and play seemed fine so i greased the sides added the caps and returned to the hanger and cleaning any dirt from it.
The chain now being dry i placed it in a bin bag squirted in a helping of scotoiler and gave it all a good work around/shake and let it soak in whilst i cleaned the rear cassette and front deraileur sprockets with some wd40 and elbow grease
I then wiped the excess lube from the chain by running it through a rag and reattached it to the bike i also found that the rear deraileur mount was loose whilst removing the jockey wheels which is another benefit of giving your bike a good hands on clean and service - you find potential issues before they become problems.
Took about an hour and i took the bike out for a spin the gears now feel even silkier, run quieter and change easier.
Fortunately the chain has a powerlink so was off in seconds with no tools required. I cleaned this in white spirit by shaking it around in a bottle and then changing fluid and repeating (warning i wouldn't recommend a glass bottle as the chain kinks whilst being shook around making it impossible to get out of the bottle opening meaning i had to cut the bottle open when finished)
I hung the cleaned chain on the line to dry and then removed the jockey wheels from the Sram x7 these were also sounding a little gritty in their rotation i removed the caps from each side of the jockey wheels and cleaned them both thoroughly - the bearings seemed to be sealed but the movement and play seemed fine so i greased the sides added the caps and returned to the hanger and cleaning any dirt from it.
The chain now being dry i placed it in a bin bag squirted in a helping of scotoiler and gave it all a good work around/shake and let it soak in whilst i cleaned the rear cassette and front deraileur sprockets with some wd40 and elbow grease
I then wiped the excess lube from the chain by running it through a rag and reattached it to the bike i also found that the rear deraileur mount was loose whilst removing the jockey wheels which is another benefit of giving your bike a good hands on clean and service - you find potential issues before they become problems.
Took about an hour and i took the bike out for a spin the gears now feel even silkier, run quieter and change easier.
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