Another case of a plan going out the window. The owner of this Trek Bicycle FX picked up a new rear wheel for his winter hack and asked me to fit it. However, having swapped over the cassette, it quickly became apparent that things were about to go awry. A very worn chain and cassette were swapped out for new KMC Chain Europe and Shimano Bike items as well as a new set of jockey wheels for the rear derailleur. Rear pads and Shimano-Road brake rotor completed the work. I always check a bike over when it’s in my care, even if it’s only in for something as simple as […]

Remember the Giant Bicycles Aggressor that came in with the dodgy gear hanger? Here’s the finished article; new rear wheel, Shimano Bike rear derailleur, gear hanger courtesy of BETD Components Ltd and a new gear cable to boot #gtbicycles #shimanomtb #bikeservicing #linlithgow

Super lovely Dolan Bikes gravel bike in for its annual service. The customer asked to go a wee bit wider on their tyres, so jumped up to a 700×45. We agreed upon the Panaracer Gravelkings set-up tubeless, using Nutrak milk for sealant. The old Schwalbe tires G-Ones were tough to get off, the Gravelkings were almost impossible to fit. It’s something about Mavic wheels that make mounting tyres an absolute ‘mare. Anyway, they eventually went on, seated easily and were holding pressure nicely. Then it was on to the brakes (or lack of them). New Shimano-Road pads and rotors were sourced, fitted and the calipers re-aligned. Sorted. The headset bearings […]

Just an Annual Service for the Liv Cycling Tempt. Like many bikes bought online, it didn’t benefit from the kind of 6 week service you invariably receive from buying from a bike shop. As a result, the gears needed attention, along with wheel truing and all components correctly torqued up #livbikes #bikeservicing #linlithgow

Talking of long-distance rides, this Spa Cycles Ti has been used for the London-Edinburgh-London ride…no easy feat! It came in with recurrent brakes issues inasmuch when they were being used, they woke the dead with the amount of noise they produced. No matter what was done…brake bleeds, new pads and rotors, nothing seemed to improve matters. Looking at the calipers suggested that they were badly corroded and there was a good chance that miniscule amounts of brake fluid could be escaping and finding its way on to pads and rotors. So, new calipers and rotors ordered, fitted and brakes bled. Muchos improvement, and hopefully it stays that way. Whilst it […]

Another case of aerosol lubricant playing havoc with hydraulic disc brakes. This Giant Bicycles Trance was just a year old, but having been purchased online, hadn’t received its customary 6 week service, so needed some much needed attention to gears, headset, hubs and wheels. Unfortunately, new Shimano-MTB pads and rotors were also required to restore stopping power after a bad case of contamination #giantbikes #shimanoMTB #Stoppers

The owner described his Specialized Bicycles XC as ‘old, but gold’ and straight off the bat was happy to invest in it. It came in with three snapped spokes. One can be replaced, two at a push, but on such an old wheel three broken spokes can’t really be fixed. Riding the bike in its current state had placed massive stress on the remaining wheel components, so a newly build wheel from The Cycle Division Ltd was ordered in (Shimano-MTB Deore hub, with DT Swiss spokes and a Mach Neuro rim). An Annual Service saw everything shifting and stopping as it should #specializedbikes #shimanoMTB #dtswiss

This vintage Raleigh UK racer is being pressed in to commuting duties, so the owner decided an Annual Service would be the way to go. On top of that, new Elvedes Bike Components cables were fitted to ensure gear changes and braking efficiency were tip-top #raleighbikes #Elvedes

Next up, a bruiser of a Specialized Bicycles Fuse that also needed some attention to its brakes. The 4 pot SRAM MTB G2 RSs haul this fun monster to a halt…only they weren’t. Having taken a look at the pads, and the width of the rotors, on went SRAM MTB’s finest Centreline rotors and organic, quiet pads. Whilst the bike was with me, I noticed the headset was graunchy, and sure enough, having investigated further, the bottom bearing in particular was in a heck of a state. A quick turnaround from airevelobearings.com with lashings of Juice Lubes bearing juice enable smooth handlebar movement and no hint of play or gritiness […]

This On-One Bikes Parkwood is dripping with SRAM MTB goodies, but the levers had fallen foul of the sticky piston problem. Both brakes completely bound on. So, new SRAM MTB Guide R levers were ordered, fitted and both brakes fully bled. Not only do the wheels now go round, the brakes stop them as well! #srammtb #ononebikes #brakebleed