Bike Maintenance
General
As a general rule check all of the bolts (especially the crank arms and pedals) on your bike every week for the first 2 months and monthly there after. New bikes have settling period and need to be checked frequently as the cables and bolts find their comfort zone. Bike need tune ups frequently. This will ensure your bike is running smoothly and the way it was intended. Have a professional bike mechanic tune your bike the first time before riding and again as check up a month later. Then ever 4-6 months depending on the amount of miles you put on your bike. Please do not make any major mechanical alterations to your bike. It was designed for commuting purposes and should be used such. Major mountain biking jumping, scuba diving and other stunts should be avoided.
Tire pressure is also very important and should be checked weekly. 45-60 psi is recommended.
Lubrication
All of the pivoting points of the Front and rear derailleur should be lubricated with light oil at least every month. Be sure to wipe off any excess oil to prevent attraction of dirt into the mechanisms. The shifting cables should be cleaned and re-coated with a thin layer of grease every six months, or whenever new cables are being installed.
Adjustment - Rear Derailleur
Find a way to lift the back wheel of your bicycle oh the ground so you can turn the pedals forward. Shift the chain to the smallest rear cog and the largest front chain wheel, and loosen the cable fixing bolt. Position yourself behind the bike so you can easily check the alignment of the chain, rear sprockets, and derailleur pulleys.
To adjust high gear, turn the adjustment screw marked 'H' until the top guide pulley lines up with the outside edge of the outermost sprocket. If the position of the guide pulley is set beyond the outside edge of the sprocket, the chain will come off when pedaling. If the guide pulley is set too far toward the larger cogs, the chain wheel may not shift onto the small sprocket. Re-tighten the cable fixing bait. At this paint the cable must be checked and adjusted to eliminate slackness with the right shifter all the way to the low position (fully forward far down tube shifters, fully back on MTB top bar shifters'. If there is too much slack, loosen the cable fixing bait, pull the cable taut, and re-tighten the bolt.
To adjust low gear, turn the adjustment screw marked 'L' far enough counter-clockwise so that you can Shift the chain onto the largest rear sprocket and the smallest chain-ring. Move the shifter until the derailleur guide pulley and the sprocket are aligned. Turn the 'L' adjustment screw. If the screw is turned in too far it will allow the derailleur to move outward and throw the chain off the sprocket when pedaling. If the adjustment prevents the derailleur moving far enough, the chain may not engage low gear. Test the adjustment by shifting the chain rapidly up and down the free-wheel. On bicycles equipped with indexed gears (SIS} the chain should move into each position without hesitation. If the chain won't move easily onto the large sprocket while on the small chain-ring, screw out the 'L' adjusting screw slightly. If the small sprocket is difficult to engage with the chain on the large chain-wheel, screw out the 'H' adjusting screw slightly. When adjusting SIS rear derailleur, there are some additional points to attend. Some derailleur models have an additional adjustment screw to set the guide pulley as close as possible to the sprocket. This is adjusted with the chain on the small cog and when set there must be no hint of rubbing noise or Fouling when pedaling in reverse. To fine tune the SIS adjustment, make sure the shift lever is set on SIS mode and shift the chain from top to second gear. If the chain will not move to the second gear, turn the cable adjusting barrel counter- clockwise to increase the cable tension. If the chain moves past the second gear, turn the adjuster clockwise to decrease the tension. Next, pedal the cranks and with the chain still in second gear, turn the adjuster counter-clockwise to increase the inner cable tension. Stop turning the adjuster just before the chain makes noise against the third gear. This completes the adjustment. After a period of use, the derailleur cable will stretch and you may find difficulty shifting the chain to the large freewheel cog or the large chain-wheel. If this occurs, re-adjust the cable either with the barrel adjuster or by repeating the above procedures.
Adjustment - Front Derailleur
The front derailleur must be positioned so that its chain guides are parallel to the chain-rings. The outer chain guide should have a clearance of about 2-4mm above the large chain-ring when directly over it. Alter the derailleur position after loosening the clamp bolt.
To ad just low gear, shift the chain onto the smallest front chain-ring and the largest rear sprocket, and loosen off the control cable fixing bolt. Turn the adjusting screw marked 'L' until the inner cage just clears the chain. With the shift lever fully in the low position, pull the control cable taut and re-tighten the cable fixing bolt.
To adjust high gear, shift the chain to engage the smallest rear sprocket, and turn the adjusting screw marked 'H' so that the chain can be shifted to the largest chain-ring. Position the derailleur so that the inside of the outer cage just clears the chain by turning the 'H' adjusting screw further.
Test the gears in all possible front and rear chain positions. If the chain rubs against the cage when on the inner or outer chain-ring in any rear sprocket position, then turn the appropriate adjusting screw counterclockwise. If the chain falls off either the inner or outer chain-ring, turn the appropriate adjusting screw clockwise. If the chain will not shift onto either the inner or outer chain-ring, turn the appropriate adjusting screw counter-clockwise.
To fine tune the adjustment on MTB bicycles fitted with front SIS, shift the chain to the largest rear sprocket and the largest Front chain-ring. Shift from the largest to the middle chain-ring. Turn the cable adjusting barrel, located in the shifter, so that the inner chain guide just clears the chain. This should complete the adjustment so that the chain can shift cleanly, without hesitation between each chain-ring.
Fine tuning on racing style bicycles fitted with dual control (STI) levers is done by first shifting the chain to the largest rear sprocket and the largest chain-ring. Next, push the left hand inner lever lightly to engage noise prevention mechanism. Then turn the down tube mounted cable adjuster so that the inner chain guide just clears the chain. This completes the adjustment.
After a period of use, the front derailleur cable will stretch and you may find difficulty shifting the chain to the small chain-ring. If this occurs, loosen the cable fixing bolt and re-tension the cable.