mtb help

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nickg

Über Member
Ive got a claud butler rock mtb. I use it when go out for rides with the family and my commuter ( 4miles a day ). Its getting old 12 yrs now and ive only ever put bb kit and headset bearing on it oh and some brake blocks. Now it feels as if its holding me back a bit now and the wheels dont appear to run as smooth as they should. All the cables are slightly rusty and the chain creaks and groans when loading it up when up hill. So I guess it needs some tlc. Also when I pedal and then stop but the bike still moving some times the chain gets pushed round via the rear wheel. Is this the free wheel hub partial ceized? Also I know it wants wheel bearings and a new sprocket and chain. How do I go about matching them all up? And is this going to be cost affective? Now if it is how do I know what bearings I need for my wheels? I need my bike every day so I want to buy the bearings so I have them before I strip it down so I only have to do it once. What are my options? I thing my gear is shimano ultegra
 

Cubist

Still wavin'
Location
Ovver 'thill
It all sounds like you need a bit of a strip and service. Very cost effective if you have the right tools, but shop around and you should have the bits you need for less than the cost of the labour on a full service, let alone the parts at what a shop will charge you.

I doubt the gear will be Ultegra, by the way. To determine what you need in terms of cassette and so on simply work on the number of cogs on the cassette. Chainreaction, Ribble, Merlin etc, all good sources of cheap cassettes and chains. Cables are probably best bought off eBay, just make sure you get the right type as brake and gear cables aren't really interchangeable, and change the outers at the same time. A decent pair of cablecutters from somewhere like Superstar Components or On One will be money well spent.

Wheelbearings will need swapping by now, and as they are a few pence each all you need is a set of cone spanners, some grease and a bit of patience.

As for the chain issue when you stop pedalling, I suspect this will be chainsuck. There's every chance your chainrings will be worn and so will need swapping. Be aware that you can get a whole crankset cheaper than replacement chainrings if you shop round.

To help in choosing kit, how many cogs do you have on the rear cassette?
 
OP
OP
nickg

nickg

Über Member
Hi. Thanks for the reply. I have 8 on the rear. It might not be ultegra maybe dura ace?

Im just wondering if its worth spending the money and time on it. I guess only costing it up for repair is best.
 

T.M.H.N.E.T

Rainbows aren't just for world champions
Location
Northern Ireland
There's no way it would be Dura Ace(road groupset) on a MTB that costs £225

For something so old, needing so much work I'd be cutting losses and buying new.
 

shadow master

Well-Known Member
Get rid of it!served its purpose! Don't spend £50 on tools and god knows how much on parts...bikes are so cheap now its a waste of time totally reconditioning them,these wanna be mechanic people are so scared to spend a penny,but actually end up spending a pound!on something that's worth a penny!
 
Cost wise, what are you looking at

New chainset - £20
New chain - £10
Cables, noodles and outers £10
possible new bb £10
New cassette or freewheel (which is it) £8

grease bearings, fettle gears, clean up. I wouldn't purchase new bearing until I'd stripped and examined them. They'd have to be rusty and pitted before I just cleaned them and re-greased.

I'd also decide based on the wheels as well. If they were true and the spoke tensions reasonable, fine, if not and I might have to replace them, I'd think twice, unless I was relegating it to shopping or something.

Personally I'd do it if I had a use for the bike. It wouldn't exclude an n+1 purchase though :whistle:
 
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Yep, you might not need a chainset, depends how many miles you've done. I'd generally replace chain and cassette together though.
 

S.Giles

Guest
Get rid of it!served its purpose! Don't spend £50 on tools and god knows how much on parts...bikes are so cheap now its a waste of time totally reconditioning them,these wanna be mechanic people are so scared to spend a penny,but actually end up spending a pound!on something that's worth a penny!
As a 'wanna be mechanic' person myself, I can't really go along with this philosophy. Tinkering with (and improving my understanding of) the mechanical components is part of the appeal of bicycles to me. Besides, a soldier should be capable of dismantling and cleaning his own rifle!

As for 'spending a pound on something that's worth a penny', I spend about the same per year keeping my bike on the road as some people spend on a Lycra jersey.

Having said that, I can understand the appeal of throwing it away and buying a new one, but unfortunately I'm not in a tax bracket that allows for that sort of thinking!
 
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