Help with my bicycle

Gemok

Gemok

Messages
319
Edit My Images
Yes
Hey guys
I'll start off by apologiseing because I know sweet f a about bikes but I know from some previous threads a few of you are in or have been into the mountain bike scene so was hoping you could point me in the right direction.

The situation is I only live 2 - 3 miles from work so most days I'll ride there saves money good for the enviroment but mostly it saves money :) the problem is I have a tendancy to break the bike usually in the same place probably due to me weighing 100kg or so :embarasse . I think from some quick googling its the bottom bracket. What ever it is it results in the pedals and the big cogs at the front for want of a better word wobbling from side to side slightly as I pedal I know from past experience that slightly quickly turns into alot.

I can think of four solutions to my problem
1) take it to a bike shop and let them sort it. Tried this last time and costs a fair bit and didn't last a huge length of time
2) buy a new cheap bike off the net and then another when that breaks etc
3) buy a more expensive bike and hope it's made of stearner stuff and doesn't get nicked or busted up by the local chavs if I leave it in town
4) Attempt to fix it myself and installing a better quality part that has more than 4 ball bearings in a cheap cage

Number four sounds like a winner to me, where I need help is confiming what bit is busted and recomendtions about which brands make uber strength parts rather than light performance parts or cheap generic ones

Any help appreciated even if its to point me in the direction of a friendly bike forum who can guid me through the maze of part names and sizes
 
Could try fixing it before it breaks , once a month pop the bearings out , clean/degrease then repack them with fresh bearing grease. Pain in the **** but cheaper than new bits/bike :)
 
I'd say you were just unlucky. If security is an issue you don't want anything valuable. My vote would be to get another used bike and ride it till it drops again.

If a repair has failed once chances are it will go again. Cheap new bike will still be shiny and likely to get nicked.
 
I had my bottom bracket break last summer, (cheap bike off fleabay, bracket broke inside a month). Rather than go through the hassle of getting it repaired locally and claiming blah blah I decided to replace it myself.

It was dead easy!

Bought a better quality 'sealed' bracket off the net for about £20 (I think it was from these guys http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/...x=0&NavTop:ProductOptions:ImgSearchButton.y=0 but I wouldn't guarantee that) Prices for them can become extreme.

I needed a special tool to remove the old one, found the new one was a different type so needed a different tool to fit it grr.. got both cheap of fleabay again and in the end the job took maybe 30-60 minutes start to finish. Which is great considering I had never done it before and had no instructions.

Handy tools, big rubber mallet (or hammer and a bit of wood to protect against chips and dents) A stillson wrench or biiig adjustable spanner and a socket set (one of the special tools fit like a reversable socket to become a crank remover)

My advice, if you are at all practical, diy!
 
You may need to remove the old one to find out what type it is, one of the main things is to measure the length of the central axle as they are listed in order of length. I think there are different thread types as well.
If you buy a one piece sealed unit like mine it screws in from one end and right through to the other end so it will only fit from one end.

oh, here's a help file on how to identify yours http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Help.aspx?CategoryID=144
 
I would advocate the fitting of a better quality bottom bracket and chain set.

If the bike will allow, ask your local bike shop for their recommendations on a for a BB that would be at home on a jump bike. The thicker axle and sturdier bearings will be more than capable of normal riding.

My bike is fitted with an XTR chainset and it's had some real hammer and it's not complaining yet, but then at 84Kgs i'm a little lighter. BUT the XTR stuff is expensive :shock:
 
every bike uner about £400 comes with a cheap bottom bracket. they are unsealed and prone to breaking. get yourself a new one asap. a shimano un-52 (might have a newer model now) should do the job perfectly, anything posher like the un-72 will be hard to find as they changed the whole BB interface in the last few years.

the unit should be around £20 and fitting should be £10-15. you'll need to take the bike in as BB's commonly come in 2 different shell sizes and any number of different lengths and it's important you get exacty the right one to within 2.5mm or your gears will sufffer.

this is all presuming it is the BB that is the problem, the other potential is that the crank arm has come loose, you'll know this if it is just one side wobbling not both. if this is the case you'll need to tighten it up and if it keeps coming loose you'll need a new crank and BB as the splines will be worn.

hope all that helps, oh and yeah, i used to be a bike mechanic ;)

edit: they should all be the same type of thread with drive side normal and non drive reverse thread unless you have and italian bicyle, they're backwards!
 
noah said:
... unless you have and italian bicyle, they're backwards!
Click to expand...

so does that mean an italian bike will undo itself!:shock:
 
SammyC said:
so does that mean an italian bike will undo itself!:shock:
Click to expand...

i always wondered that too, never tried it!

i think its only on the older italian road bikes and maybe only on the non drive side, but its confusing none-the-less!
 
/cue joke about Italian army - It's because they do most of their cycling backwards..
 
turns out my neighbour has a crank puller so with a bit of elbow grease I've pulled the cranks off and surprise surprise the one of the cages of ball bearings has bust. as a temporay solution I've nicked one of the cages out of my brothers bike till I can get a new sealed unit delivered and fitted. whilst I'm buying ike bits think I may ditch the standard off road tires for somthing a bit slicker and faster :)
 
you'll notice a big difference m8, if you switch to semi slicks or even slicks.

I have a set of wheels with slicks on for when I need to use the bike on the roads. Pedalling effort is much reduced and it's easier to carry the speed due to the reduction of drag.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top