Looking to (maybe) overhaul some (all) of the mechanics on my bike...

fireaza

Hi guys,
I recently replaced the calipers on my road bike. It was much easier to replace the unknown brand calipers with some Shimano calipers than trying to work out what replacement pads are compatible. After I was done, I was pleasantly surprised to find my brakes no longer squeaked! That was driving me nuts!

So I got to thinking about the quality of other the parts of my bike. The chain for example, is another unknown brand. I figure replacing it with a Shimano chain would make riding more comfortable, which seems worthwhile since they're not expensive. The crankset is also an unknown brand, so I dunno if replacing it might be a good idea too? The other mechanical bits are Shimano brand, but they're the Tourney family, which I'm lead to believe are not so crash hot.

I was also thinking about how my bike is a bit fussy when it comes to shifting into middle gears. The rear derailer probably just needs to be adjusted, but I was thinking if I'm going to have to screw around with the rear derailer anyway, I could just replace it entirely with a better one for about the same amount of work. Two birds, one stone.

But then I was reading that the shifter needs to match what kind of rear derailer you're using (i.e road bike or mountain bike) and if you don't pair them, your bike won't shift properly. So would that mean that I would need to replace my shifters too? My bike is a road bike, so I'd be using a rear derailer intended for road bikes, but my shifter is a trigger shifter like a mountain bike, so I'm not sure what it is (it simply has "Shimano" written on it, no family name).

So if I replace the rear derailer, would that mean I should replace the front derailer too? I've never been able to properly setup a front derailer, so that's not something I'd be looking forward to.

As to what I would replace these parts with, Shimano Atlus and Claris parts are basically the same price. Since Claris are suppose to be better quality and intended for road bikes, I was thinking that's what I would go for.

keezx

Sounds like you intend to replace El Cheapo parts for other El Cheapo parts.
I would start with some good maintenance , like new cables , adjusting gears and so on.
Someting worn should be replaced.....

fireaza

Well, I'm not a serious biker, so I'm not looking to install $100 parts. But you'd have to figure that El Cheapo parts would be better than El Cheapo Cheapo parts right? As for maintenance, the bike isn't even a year old yet, so I kinda doubt the cables are worn out already... Adjustments would probably do the trick, but as I said, since I'm already screwing with them, I could kill two birds with one stone and replace the part entirely if there might be some benefit to doing that.

keezx

Sorry, but doesn't make sense.

gethinceri

Buy a new bike.

imposter2.0

fireaza wrote:

Hi guys,
I recently replaced the calipers on my road bike. It was much easier to replace the unknown brand calipers with some Shimano calipers than trying to work out what replacement pads are compatible.

Identifying and fitting replacement pads to brake calipers is not difficult. Certainly not a justification for replacing the calipers, ffs.

fireaza wrote:

The chain for example, is another unknown brand. I figure replacing it with a Shimano chain would make riding more comfortable,

How on earth would a chain make any difference to comfort???

These are just two comments I pulled out - but the rest of your post has no basis in logic either.

k-dog

Yeah, most of it just sounds like adjustment issues - sort out what you have and then see what you're left with.

IME at the cheaper end the difference is longevity rather than performance - so wait until things wear out and then jump up to something like Tiagra if the frame is worth it. If it's not then run it into the ground and save for something better.

fireaza

Jesus Christ guys, not all of us are seasoned bicycle gurus, there's no need for the snarky, arrogant comments. k-dog is the only one of you who has contributed anything actually helpful, and I think he makes a good point about longevity being the real difference, so that's what I'll go with. Mods, close this thread.

cooldad

Mods don't close threads. Anyone is welcome to comment.

But you have made some random comments. What brand is the no name brand chain for instance? I only use KMC, which could be considered 'no name' compared to Shimano, but they are probably the largest chain maker in the world. Likewise Maxxis tyres (very good brand), are owned by Cheng Shin Rubber. Ever heard of them? They make millions of cheap and nasty tyres.
Many cranksets, hubs etc are generic and rebranded/unbranded for the bike manufacturer. Some are quite decent, even if quite cheap.

So you need to be more specific, and do more research.

Generally a bit of routine maintenance, indexing, lubing, replacing cables will make a significant difference. Unless the parts are really cr4p.

fireaza

Yeah, they're pretty random comments since I'm trying to put together what I've been able to learn from research and what I haven't been able to find. For example, my friend has a cheap bike that constantly needs it's chain to be oiled or it starts squeaking like a mo'fo. My bike was a bit more expensive and can go for weeks and weeks before the makes a single peep. I tried looking into what the main differences are between a cheap and expensive chain, and all I got was "better build quality". Does this simply mean a more expensive chain won't break as easily? Are the more expensive chains designed to hold on to oil? I couldn't find much in the way of specifics.

My chain simply says "Z" on it. I figure since my bike isn't high-end and that since Shimano chains aren't expensive, that they would most likely use a Shimano chain for a bike like mine. Then again, maybe they figured the chain is important and they sprung for a high-quality, but lesser-known brand?

I haven't heard of "Cheng Shin Rubber", but thankfully they're not written on mine! Mine are Kenda, which are at least a proper company. Part of the reason I chose this bike was the it mentioned that the tires are Kevlar-lined and resist punctures. I got punctures all the time on my old bike, and this new one has been puncture-free!

I guess what I'm asking here is mainly if there's any benefit to replacing low-end mechanical parts with less-low-end parts. I can't really justify installing top-of-the-line parts for what I use my bike for, but for some parts around the $50 mark that will make for a smoother experience? Sure, why not?

andy9964

I'm sure I read somewhere, that to get any decent amount of benefit from upgrading drivetrain components, you should miss the next one up from yours. So, in road terms, --- Sora -miss Tiagra- 105 --- Tiagra -miss 105- Ultegra, etc.
If you have El Cheapo Cheapo parts, then there's a good chance you'll be adding an extra gear or two at the back, which will mean you'll need the full groupset for guaranteed compatibility.
And then you'll need a new rear wheel that's compatible with the new cassette, and you won't want mis-matched wheels will you, so a front will be required

TLDR ? : Buy a new bike

keezx

fireaza wrote:

Yeah, they're pretty random comments since I'm trying to put together what I've been able to learn from research and what I haven't been able to find. For example, my friend has a cheap bike that constantly needs it's chain to be oiled or it starts squeaking like a mo'fo. My bike was a bit more expensive and can go for weeks and weeks before the makes a single peep. I tried looking into what the main differences are between a cheap and expensive chain, and all I got was "better build quality". Does this simply mean a more expensive chain won't break as easily? Are the more expensive chains designed to hold on to oil? I couldn't find much in the way of specifics.

An expensive chain will last longer, but only when it's properly maintained.
Maintanance is more important than price.
Some people throw away their chains away after 2000 miles, regardless the price, they better buy cheap chains.

keef66

fireaza wrote:

Yeah, they're pretty random comments since I'm trying to put together what I've been able to learn from research and what I haven't been able to find. For example, my friend has a cheap bike that constantly needs it's chain to be oiled or it starts squeaking like a mo'fo. My bike was a bit more expensive and can go for weeks and weeks before the makes a single peep. I tried looking into what the main differences are between a cheap and expensive chain, and all I got was "better build quality". Does this simply mean a more expensive chain won't break as easily? Are the more expensive chains designed to hold on to oil? I couldn't find much in the way of specifics.

My chain simply says "Z" on it. I figure since my bike isn't high-end and that since Shimano chains aren't expensive, that they would most likely use a Shimano chain for a bike like mine. Then again, maybe they figured the chain is important and they sprung for a high-quality, but lesser-known brand?

I haven't heard of "Cheng Shin Rubber", but thankfully they're not written on mine! Mine are Kenda, which are at least a proper company. Part of the reason I chose this bike was the it mentioned that the tires are Kevlar-lined and resist punctures. I got punctures all the time on my old bike, and this new one has been puncture-free!

I guess what I'm asking here is mainly if there's any benefit to replacing low-end mechanical parts with less-low-end parts. I can't really justify installing top-of-the-line parts for what I use my bike for, but for some parts around the $50 mark that will make for a smoother experience? Sure, why not?

More expensive chains will have surface treatments to resist corrosion / wear, but the biggest difference will be that they are made a tiny bit lighter by having slotted inner and outer plates, and even hollow pins. I doubt any of that would make any discernible difference to your riding, so save your money. In 50 years of cycling I've only ever had one chain break, and that was likely due to my ineptitude in joining it.

Basic KMC chains have a Z on the side plates; if you look closer you may see KMC in smaller letters near the pin. No need for anything dearer.

Given that your bike is only a year old I suspect you just need to learn how to properly clean, lubricate and adjust what you have. My first new bike was a cheap and cheerful steel job with mainly unbranded parts, but I kept it running sweetly with nothing more than a couple of screwdrivers, a can of oil and a supply of rags.

fatdaz

If your gears have never been "tweaked" in the year you've had the bike there's every chance that the cables have simply bedded in leading to a little slackness. I've never owned a bike with mechanical gears that didn't need firtling with after the first few hundred miles. I'd say your gears may need properly indexing - particularly given that you say the problem is in the middle of the cassette. If you have barrel adjusters on your cables this could take seconds but even if you have to relase the cable and start again it's still only a few minutes - YouTube is your friend for this. Like others have said get used to tuning and maintaining what you have, it isn't hard, and then you will understand better what is worth upgrading

fireaza

keef66 wrote:

Basic KMC chains have a Z on the side plates; if you look closer you may see KMC in smaller letters near the pin. No need for anything dearer.

Well hot damn! You're right, there's a little "KMC" logo on the chain! Bit odd they didn't put their own logo front-and-center, but at least this means that the company who made my bike did indeed spring for a high quality chain.

Based on what you guys have said, I probably won't see any improvements unless I step up to high-end parts. So it seems like a clean and a adjustment should be enough.

But speaking of replacement parts, I had an issue a while back where I could hear an odd metallic rattle coming from my back wheel. I discovered that 3 of the bolts that hold the rear disk brake to the wheel had straight-up fallen off! When I checked the other bolts, I found they did indeed feel loose, especially compared to the bolts I replaced them all with. Is this a common problem, or did I just get unlucky? I ask because I notice many of Shimano's disk brakes seem to not use a bolt system at all, you lock them to the wheel. So I was wondering if maybe there was a known flaw with the bolt-style disk brakes.

And finally, I've noticed that the front suspension on my bike has always been a bit "sticky". It seems to compress okay, but when you take weight off it, it makes a sudden "clunk" as it returns to it's fully extended position, like it's getting stuck in the last part of it's journey. Improper lubrication by the manufacture perhaps? I've looked into how to lubrucate front suspension, but they all seem to start with "remove the bolts on the bottom of your suspension" but my bike just has a hole and no bolt...

The Rookie

Clinking suspension is due to cheap forks with no damping, there is nothing to control the rebound speed.

KMC chains can be cheap as well as quality, but the cheap ones are at least to a known quality.

k-dog

No, that's just an assembly issue - they should be loctited and tightened properly.

Cheap suspension forks aren't really designed to be be serviceable so there's probably not a lot you can do. Not sure why your road bike has suspension anyway?

jgsi

Confusion here because the OP is describing his MTB as a road bike because he uses it on the road?
Anyway, very blurred descriptions of components or total guesswork does not help us to offer constructive advice.
It helps if there is one issue at a time to discuss.