Time For Service, Need Part Recommendations

[The Critic]

I did some routine maintenance on my bike today, an '04 Specialized HardRock Sport, and discovered that I needed some new parts.

1. Tires-- I still have the original tires. They are almost bald after more than four years of street riding. I'm planning to start doing some trail riding, so I think I want to stick with a tire that is a good compromise between street riding and the occasional off-road riding. Suggestions?

2. Grips-- The original grips are torn. Suggested replacements?

3. Chain Stay Protector-- The clear "stick-on" chain stay protector is torn and peeling off. What kind of replacement do you folks recommend?

4. Bottom Bracket Cartridge-- I hear a squeak coming from the bottom bracket area. Since it's a sealed cartridge, I assume that it cannot be overhauled and will have to be replaced. There's some rust along the edge of the cartridge, FWIW. What kind of replacement do you folks recommend for this? I wouldn't mind paying a bit more for a more durable replacement, this one (original) has less than 1000 miles on it.

5. Chain-- 1/16" of an inch wear. Time to replace soon I guess. SRAM replacement? Or should I stick with Shimano?

Thanks!

 

[JHZR2]

for #1, I like michelin and continental tires, though many will buy whatever is cheapest, many will spend good money. If youre puncture-prone, some have heavier carcases (and you can also get heavier tubes), its a tough call. Id merely go by "knobbiness" of the tires. You dont want anything too smooth, or anything too knobby.

For #2, I like Specialized bar fat.

#3, I would likely not worry about it.Im not sure if something like the heavy 3M headlight film would work.

For #4, do the bearings roll well? If so, Id not worry about it until it doesnt. Components should last longer unless theyre often wet or left in the rain, etc.

#5, a worn chain will wear gears quicker, Ill be interested to hear what others suggest.

JMH

 

[BuickGN]

For #5 I just got a SRAM PC-850 replacement after breaking the stock chain after a month's use. So far so good. Seems quieter than stock for sure. Otherwise, I've only got my one 20 mile ride on it. I'm still a little scared to stand up on the pedals lol.

 

[Bill Kapaun]

For chains, I get the KMC Z-51's for $6 at our local "outdoor store".
I just put on a new one in the Spring.
One of these years, when I have 3-4 old ones laying around, I'll actually inspect them and clean if not worn too much.

 

[UncleS2]

"I think I want to stick with a tire that is a good compromise between street riding and the occasional off-road riding"

2 that seem very popular for that, both have inverted tread and are even used by some Police departments: Continental Town & Country(made in 26x1.9 & 26x2.1, take yer choice,~$26/ea at Performance Bike), and the Serfas Drifter(26x2.0, $22/ea at REI- Serfas also makes it in 26x1.5, but that's skinny for off-road). I think Pablo bought some Cont T&C's & likes 'em a lot. "Pickled" bought some Drifters & likes them a lot. See the "Good Street Tires for Mtn Bike" thread.

In short: It would be hard to go wrong with either one.

I recently bought a pair of Serfas Drifters from REI when on sale/sold out, they arrived last week. Hope to get 'em mounted this week!

 

[pickled]

I'm still loving my drifters. I've been busy on a project, but they definitely improved my ride. SRAM would work fine for your chain, but your sprockets have to be pretty tore up too. The Amsoil HD metal protector is keeping my chain and sprockets in good shape. Try squirting a little 5W30 or spray grease into your cartridge to see if the squeak goes away. FYI...front hub bearings need love too. Take the wheel off and you can usually get the bearings and cage cleaned up and re-packed within 20 minutes. I used a synthetic based dual purpose grease for mine and life is good now. OEM bike grease tends to wash out and oxidize rather quickly for some reason.

 

[ilh]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
1. Tires-- I still have the original tires. They are almost bald after more than four years of street riding. I'm planning to start doing some trail riding, so I think I want to stick with a tire that is a good compromise between street riding and the occasional off-road riding. Suggestions?


someone mentioned michelins or continentals. good tires, but michelins come at a supreme cost. a kenda or maxxis will do just as well. to be honest, im a Kenda junkie. i ride with a 2.35 Nevegal on the front, and a 2.35 Small Block 8 on the back of my sasquatch. the SB8 is real good for keeping rolling resistance down and digs into muck real well, but you're screwed on loose pack or gravel. best left to a rear tire. maybe try the short trackers if your riding is still majority street with a bit of leisure trails?

Originally Posted By: The Critic
2. Grips-- The original grips are torn. Suggested replacements?
your hands and wrists are the best deciders for this one. i've had no problems with the $10 Axiom lock-ons.

Originally Posted By: The Critic
3. Chain Stay Protector-- The clear "stick-on" chain stay protector is torn and peeling off. What kind of replacement do you folks recommend?
a neoprene Lizard Skin is the ticket here. been using them for 3 years and no problems. if they get dirty, rip it off and throw it in the wash. problem solved.

Originally Posted By: The Critic
4. Bottom Bracket Cartridge-- I hear a squeak coming from the bottom bracket area. Since it's a sealed cartridge, I assume that it cannot be overhauled and will have to be replaced. There's some rust along the edge of the cartridge, FWIW. What kind of replacement do you folks recommend for this? I wouldn't mind paying a bit more for a more durable replacement, this one (original) has less than 1000 miles on it.


i've "overhauled" them back before i started working at the shop. tore the seals off, stuffed the bearings full of grease and rode it for another few months until i sold the bike. haha! my bearings were growling though, not squeaking. you're just best to replace.

Originally Posted By: The Critic
5. Chain-- 1/16" of an inch wear. Time to replace soon I guess. SRAM replacement? Or should I stick with Shimano?
both are good replacements. go with whatever's in stock if you're impartial. i choose to replace with SRAM parts, but i'll leave the Shimano on my '08 sasquatch until it wears out.

hope that helps!
-ian

 

[NYEngineer]

Kenda Nevigals are good tires.

Lizard Skin or Specialized make good lock on grips. You'll never go back to the old kind.

Chain stay protector... Just like Ilh said, Lizard Skin again. Specialized also makes their own.

I recently replaced the sealed bottom bracket in my old Hardtail Cannondale with a fresh one from Shimano. 60 bucks installed.

Shimano or Sram. Make sure your chainrings and cogs aren't damaged first.

 

[wantin150]

Depending on how much you ride, just check out the internet bike shops and buy their sale parts. 6 of one and half dozen of another for the casual rider.

 

[rpn453]

I use a Lizard Skin on my chainstay. You need to cable-tie it for it to stay in place.

If you change the BB cartridge, I recommend using a made-in-Japan Shimano design that has built in cartridge bearings and a hollow axle (vs. the cone and cup design found on cheaper BBs). It used to be known as the UN70. I don't know what they'd be calling it today.

I like Shimano for drivetrain parts. I never change the chain until it's toast, at which point I change my chain, cassette, and usually just the middle ring. I just replaced my drivetrain on my city bike (1995 KHS Montana Comp) after about ten years and, I'd guess, about 10,000 miles of use on the drivetrain. It has been many years since it even registered on my Park chain checker and it finally broke a roller a few weeks ago. It still worked, but you could feel the defect every few pedals. I had an almost-new 2000 LX crankset (leftover from an upgrade on my old race bike) so I threw that on with an HG-70 chain and IG-30 cassette (it's a 7 speed). $40 total at a local shop. Now that's cheap transportation!

 

[The Critic]

Hey folks, thanks for all of the replies. I'm sorry that I didn't reply sooner.

Anyway, I think the bottom bracket is fine. There must have been something in my pocket that was "rattling" or "squeaking" while I was riding that time. I have not heard any noise from the bottom bracket ever since.

I took the bike to the bike co-op yesterday for a more thorough inspection. They said that I needed new rear brake pads immediately. They also measured the chain with the correct measuring device and concluded that it was stretched and needed immediate replacement as well. Lastly, the tires, grips and chain stay were due soon.

I took your recommendations and checked out the Continental Town and Country tires. They seem like a good choice for me considering that I ride on paved streets most of the time. I guess I can keep a set of knobby tires just for those situations where I need them?

Also, what size Lizard skin should I get? They have the jumbo and the standard size.

I also checked out the Lizard Skin lock-on grips. They seem pricey, but I like the look (and probably the feel) of them. Thanks NYEngineer for the recommendation.

As for the pads, I think I'm going to go with Kool Stop's Dual-Compound threaded MTB pads. Does anyone have any experience with these? I read a lot of positive reviews on them.

Lastly, the SRAM PC-890 8-speed chain seems to be reasonably priced. Are there better, longer lasting chains for the same amount of money though?

I priced out the parts with JensonUSA. Are these fair prices?

Thanks again!

 

[JHZR2]

The continental town and country tires are very good, IMO. I like them a lot, and have on on the rear of my commuter bike. My wife has them on both ends of her commuter bike. They are a little bit fatter than what I usually run, but I dont see that as a real issue of any sort.

I do like the kool stop pads too. I have them on my commuter bike. Sure beat the old plain black rubber pads that I had on there as OE before, in their stopping behavior, smoothness, and tolerance for grit, when those conditions occurred.

Jenson has good prices in mh experience, but Id also shop at performance bike and nashbar, maybe even amazon. you might try to price shop against your LBS too, they might cut you a deal to make the sale.

JMH

 

[The Critic]

Thanks. Nashbar and Performance are much more expensive.

Anyway, some said that I should also replace the cassette because the chain is worn. Supposedly the two go as a set, like brake pads and rotors. Any truth to that?

 

[rpn453]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Also, what size Lizard skin should I get? They have the jumbo and the standard size.


Unless your chainstays are a large and unusual design, the standard should fit.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: rpn453
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Also, what size Lizard skin should I get? They have the jumbo and the standard size.


Unless your chainstays are a large and unusual design, the standard should fit.


Thanks!

The Standard is 2 11/16" x 9 11/16", Jumbo is 3 1/2" x 10". I'll have to cut a piece of paper and do a test fit.

 

[rpn453]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Anyway, some said that I should also replace the cassette because the chain is worn. Supposedly the two go as a set, like brake pads and rotors. Any truth to that?


The main reason to change your chain early based on measured wear is to save the cassette and chainrings from further wear. If you install a new chain on a used cassette, it won't mesh properly and will often skip on the higher gears, so you'll have to replace the cassette to use the new chain. But if you change the chain early and frequently enough, you can extend the life of the cassette without wearing the cassette enough to cause skipping. If you're going to change both the chain and cassette, you might as well wait until you have to, IMHO.

There are three other reasons I can think of for why you'd change the chain before it skips or fails: because it feels a little tighter when pedaling, because you don't have to oil a newer chain as often, and to preserve your chainrings. Neither provide enough reason for me to change my drivetrain until I need to. Chainrings are fairly inexpensive and it's usually only the middle one that wears a lot for me.

 

[rpn453]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
The Standard is 2 11/16" x 9 11/16", Jumbo is 3 1/2" x 10". I'll have to cut a piece of paper and do a test fit.


They're quite stretchy, so take that into consideration.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: rpn453
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Anyway, some said that I should also replace the cassette because the chain is worn. Supposedly the two go as a set, like brake pads and rotors. Any truth to that?


The main reason to change your chain early based on measured wear is to save the cassette and chainrings from further wear. If you install a new chain on a used cassette, it won't mesh properly and will often skip on the higher gears, so you'll have to replace the cassette to use the new chain. But if you change the chain early and frequently enough, you can extend the life of the cassette without wearing the cassette enough to cause skipping. If you're going to change both the chain and cassette, you might as well wait until you have to, IMHO.

What's skipping? I know that on the 6-7-8 cogs, I get a delayed engagement. It's especially pronounced on the 7-8, it feels like the drivetrain "slips" for a while before it engages.

 

[huffmuds9320]

Skipping is when you pedal and the chain jumps a tooth. It would feel like something slips and usually with an clunk sound. My old Diamondback had a very worn chain ring and skipped because the tooth was very dull. A stiff chain link can also cause skipping.

If you have a delayed gear change, its probably you need to adjust the derailer or cable tension.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: lpcmidst128
Skipping is when you pedal and the chain jumps a tooth. It would feel like something slips and usually with an clunk sound. My old Diamondback had a very worn chain ring and skipped because the tooth was very dull. A stiff chain link can also cause skipping.

If you have a delayed gear change, its probably you need to adjust the derailer or cable tension.

I've noticed that on some gears, when I ride at a very low speed I can feel a "crunch" type feeling. It's limited to the higher gears though, IIRC, is that a sign of skipping?