The Shiny New All-Purpose MTB Thread

Posted by: matthewr on 10 May 2004

Becuase having one called "Paging Matthew" is starting to annoy me.

My question is: does anyone have any experience of using petrol station jet washers to clean one's bike? I've never done it as I've always heeded the dire warnings about getting water in your bearings, forks, pedals, etc. and everything rusting up a few weeks later. In practice, and presuming I don't blast my bottom bracket directly, how likely is this to cause any actual harm?

The reason I ask is that living in a 4th floor flat with no garage and no secure storage I have a real problem when my bike gets dirty and it would be a million times easier if I could come home via a petrol station and get most of the mud off.

My previous bike I used to, I kid you not, clean it in the bath with the shower. However, with disk breaks meaning wheel removal is not very practical, this is not an option anymore: So unless I can use a jet washer I am faced with endless hassle and lectures about mud in the hallway from the woman in my building who thinks she owns the place.

So any ideas for getting my bike clean very quickly gratefully received.

Matthew
Posted on: 11 October 2004 by Bruce Woodhouse
Brake pads can be examined for wear just by having a look in the 'gap' with the wheel off, need 1-2mm pad thickness on each side. Easier to remove the pads, to do this depends on your make. Resist the temptation to remove the wheel then pump the pedal, this will bring the pads together and make the wear easy to see, but you'll then have to lever the pads apart again on most makes!

Lots of discs squeal even when not worn, a blob of Coppaslip on the back of the pad fixes mine. Make sure the noise is not because you've managed to bend the wheel/rotor, or scored the latter becasue the pads are worn out.

Wear varies enormously on compound, type of riding, rider weight, even pad to pad I've found. On moderately heavy XC use I get about 2-3 months, one batch I wore out in 2 rides!

Bruce
Posted on: 11 October 2004 by matthewr
Thanks. I'll have a poke around tonight.

Matthew

PS "Whoa! Sick!" isn't bad at all, quite the opposite.
Posted on: 11 October 2004 by Brian OReilly
One of The Adults in Nymphenburg Park saw fit to shout "CHRIST! Are you OK" at me on Sunday as I performed a rolling "stoppie" with head-first-over-the-bars finish, after my 4yr old son had just brake-tested me.. Naturally I secretly thought "That's my boy!".

Before you go mad with the spanners, check there is no debris(twigs, dried leaves) stuck up between the caliper and disc. Water or WD40 contamination can also cause squeal.
Posted on: 19 October 2004 by matthewr
On closer inspection the bit I assumed was brake pad is actually the fitting that should have pad on it (IYSWIM). I think I was lucky not to trash the rotor.

Have ordered some pads and a bleed kit and will fix them this weekend. And then take it to the bikeshop on Monday.

Matthew

PS Chain Reaction now have last year's Sherman Firefly (a high end externally adjustable travel fork heavy XC/light freeride fork with fancy speed sensitive damping) reduced from £565 to £399. I am tempted....

See http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/viewproduct.asp?category=Forks&ModelID=3649
Posted on: 19 October 2004 by Bruce Woodhouse
Matthew

Not many (if any) types of disc require you to bleed them down to change the pads. What disc system is it?

bruce
Posted on: 19 October 2004 by matthewr
Bruce -- No I understand that one does not require the other, but the front brake lever right closes to the handlebar (which could just be the lack of pads I guess) and there is some brake fluid around the caliper.

And the bleed kit was right next to the disk pads on the webpage. So I ordered one anyway in case replacingthe pads doesn't entirely fix them.

Plus I undertood one had to do this sort of thing once a year anyway? My discs are XT.

Matthew
Posted on: 19 October 2004 by Bruce Woodhouse
I suspect an annual bleed is unnecesary, but I do it 'cos i like to fiddle. It is dead easy compared to the Caterham!

I think that XT are self-adjusting so the lever position should not change, may need some re-adjustment of the lever assembly itself to bring it further out. This is certainly how my Hope's work.

Is it too late to reccommend Zinn and The Art of MTB Maintenance?

Bruce

[This message was edited by Bruce Woodhouse on Tue 19 October 2004 at 17:16.]