I'm a bit of a cycling novice (but thick skinned...) I've got a 4 year old Specialized Rockhopper that's done over 4000 miles with just routine maintenance.The chain and rear cogs are looking the worse for wear and I'm going to replace them when the wife stops giving me DIY jobs to do. 😠
The question is what else should I replace at the same time? I'm assuming the front cogs ought to be done. The jockey wheels seem a little knackered but should I replace them or the whole unit? I've done the wheel bearings recently. The pedal and head stock bearings seem tight and smooth so I assume they just need a clean and grease?
I had a book on all this but it got lost when I moved house. Plus I struggle to tell if something is knackered until it drops off...😄
Recommendations for a good maintenance book might be useful...:eek:
If you want to replace rear cogs and chain it might be a good idea to replace the chainwheels too. The best thing would be to remove them from your bike and let someone at a bicycle shop have a look at them, because 4000 miles doesn't seem like a lot to me. Unless you ride your bike in really bad weather your cogs and chain should last for at least 10000 km (about 7000 miles). Always replace chain and rear cogs at the same time! You can just replace the jockey wheels, there's no need to replace the whole unit. For the rest it should be enough to clean and grease everything.
If you want a good book you should check out Barnett's Manual. It's available for download form a lot of sites and extremely good!
Erik
QuintainT said:
Hi Chaps,
I'm a bit of a cycling novice (but thick skinned...) I've got a 4 year old Specialized Rockhopper that's done over 4000 miles with just routine maintenance.The chain and rear cogs are looking the worse for wear and I'm going to replace them when the wife stops giving me DIY jobs to do. 😠
The question is what else should I replace at the same time? I'm assuming the front cogs ought to be done. The jockey wheels seem a little knackered but should I replace them or the whole unit? I've done the wheel bearings recently. The pedal and head stock bearings seem tight and smooth so I assume they just need a clean and grease?
I had a book on all this but it got lost when I moved house. Plus I struggle to tell if something is knackered until it drops off...😄
Recommendations for a good maintenance book might be useful...:eek:
Thanks guys. Very useful information. I wasn't sure if 4000 miles was a lot or a little between fitting replacement parts. The chain does seem a little stretched and rides a little high over the rear cogs, which made me think they were past their best. Also the teeth seem a little rounded. I've been greasing the chain every 100 miles, and more regularly when the bike got filthy. I do punish it a bit on some local trails. Perhaps I'll stop going down the pub for a couple of nights and pay for the bike shop to have a look.
