Well, I've seen your site so far and it seems great, so I thought I'd give my question a go ;-) First off, handle bars.. my bike's made of alluminum, and I'm pretty sure the handle bars are as well, as well as the piece they connect to that goes itno the fork. The problem then is that they seem to slide down, ever so slowly, as I ride.. the various bumps just seem to knock it so my hands are kinked up to hold on and get the brakes. At the suggestion of my dad, there's some sand paper inside to hold it in place.. seems to not do a great deal. The hex bolt holding it all together is quite tight; I'm afraid of stripping out either the bolt or the wrench. The metal where it is knurled to get some grip inside is smooth -- at least on the handle bars, not completely sure of inside the hole (looked slightly knurled still from where I could see)... so, I dunno. Any suggestions? my current thought is to take it to a welder and get two half inch welds on each side of the thing to keep it from moving, if it'd be cheap enough ;-) Second, the crank. When I pedal down with the left foot, it gives a clicking/grinding sound. I don't need to pedal very hard for it to happen, but I do need to apply pressure. Simply moving it at a speed where it doesn't cause the bike to move and faster (stopping the back wheel from clickitting) doesn't cause it. Also, on the right side, when I pedal down the chain rubs on the front derailleur. I've adjusted both the front and the back, and as for the front.. it will rub in at least the first or last gear. No getting around that (I can adjust it for somewhere in the middle, and it'll slightly rub on both ;-). Note that just spinning the pedals and again it's fine (not rubbing), but pedaling with significant force will cause the clattering of the chain rubbing. Any ideas? For the disassembly, I've taken nuts off the outside, saw a square piece inside.. but couldn't budge it loose. How can I get that part apart? I read and saw something about hex nuts, but haven't looked again.. this e-mail is mostly for the handle bars as I intend to "fix" that soon, as I have to readjust them every ride. I still need to oil pedals and such, but every bolt on the bick has been tightened with no effect. Third, the back gear cluster (freewheel?..) wobbles... just turn the bike upside down, give the tire a spin, *wobble wibble wobble*.. I don't have any ideas to that one. Again, any suggestions? :-/ Thanks for the time ;-) -Andrew Blair Hey Andrew , thanks for visiting the site ! Let's review the handlebar first. Make sure that the H-bar is the proper size. When the bar securing bolts are tight is there any space between the face plate of the stem and the main part of the stem(part attached to the bike) ? Or is the face plate completely against the stem ? (no gap) , if there is no gap the H-bar may be to small of a diameter . Secondly, Make sure the bolts are evenly tightened. Third , If you can fit a piece of sandpaper in beween the H-bar and stem something seems strange about that . Take it out and make a metal shim out of a soda can. Or bur a new H-bar that is the right size . Now on to the cranks . Your crank arms are attatched to a tapered square spindle . They are press fit onto the spindle by tightening the cranks bolts. Either 14 mm bolt head or 8 mm allen bolt style . If they are loose the symptoms that you described can be common . To remove them you will need a crank removal tool or crank puller as it is commonly called . Available at bike shops . Remove your bolts , screw in the puller completely into the crank arm and wind in the extracter tool handle . Your bottom bracket (crank bearing assembly) may be loose or damaged. Your chainrings or cranks could be bent . Check for play or wiggle side to side in the cranks , check for bent chainrings by spinning the cranks and watching the sprockets pass by the Frt. derrailler. Freewheels and cassettes can wiggle slightly when coasting do to poor machining . I hope that helps you out some. Mike I hope you can help, I have a Trex Bruiser 2001 YTwo mountain bike. I need to adjust the height of the handle bars. Can this be done, and if so, how? Joanne Joanne, Hello! Most bikes will allow for adjustment of the handlebar height. You should be able to raise or lower it about an inch or so. Be careful to not raise it past the limit (you should see a minimum insertion line on the stem that you should not go past while raising it up). Normally, you want the handlebar about an inch below the saddle height. To adjust the height, you should loosen the stem expander bolt with an allen wrench. This bolt is on the top of the stem. Once you loosen the bolt quite a bit, you may find that the expander wedge does not drop down if you have a quill style stem. In this case, take a small block of wood and place it on top of the bolt and give it a small whack with a hammer. You will feel it loosen and drop down to allow you to move up or down the stem. Set it at the desired height, center the bar, and then you can retighten the bolt. That's it! thanx stan Stan, I have a gary fisher tassajara and want to get a set of bar ends for climbing. I think that if I get the clamp on the end type that I won't have room enough to put my hand on the handle bars, so I'm looking to see if you know anything about the type i've heard about that fit into the end of the handle bars. It aso looks like I will need new grips as my current grips are one piece that do not allow access to the end of the bar. If you have any suggestions on what to buy or where to buy I'd appreciate you letting me know. Thanks, Paul Paul, Hello! Glad that you got your order OK.... About the bar ends... I have both types of bar ends. One set fits inside the handlebar, the other clamps over it... I had a problem with the type fitting inside, and had trouble keeping it tight enough not to move under load or twisting force. I recommend the type that clamps over the bar... you loose about 1/2" of handlebar length, but the grip can be cut off at the end to allow for the clamp to sort of fit underneath. Actually, you can hit the end of the bar with a hammer, and slice off the grip flush with the bar end, and then slip the bar end under the grip 1/2", tighten it, and let the grip cover part of the bar end. You can always cut a little bit off with a knife if needed. This way you really don't loose any space. They stay nice and tight too... Always recommend a grip over the bar end as well for added comfort and better grip... Hope this helps... Stan I ride off road and was wondering which type of handlebar is better: Flat vs. Riser bars? What are the advantages/disadvantages of both? Thanks very much. David David, Hello! Sorry about the late reply, but I was away on vacation for a few weeks :) Here is some info on the riser vs. the straight handlebar... * The riser bar allows a slightly more upright riding position which is excellent for downhill riding & screaming fast descents. * The riser bars are better if you are a tall rider, as you don't have to lean over as much & is easier on your back. * Some riser bars have an added cross brace which gives greater strength and control in tough conditions, and are favored by cross country riders. * Also remember to consider bar end extenders to allow for a different hand position and better leverage and comfort when standing up... All in all, we favor a bar with a slight to moderate rise... Hope this helps --- ~~Stan~~ Is there a proper width of handle bar a person should use? What are the pros & cons of wider and narrower handlebars? Or is it just personal comfort? Thanks, DC Rocky, Usually you want you handlebars to be about shoulder width. A little longer for downhill, and a little shorter for tight single track and going between trees and tight spots. Make sure you have good grips for your hand size and wear gloves when you ride. I guess if I had my choice, I would go with longer bars for better control and leverage, but a little slower and cumbersome in real tight places. We also like bar end extenders with a padded grip for climbing, comfort, and better leverage. Just keep them away from those tight tree openings and don't wrap it up on them!! ~~MaNiMaL~~ *Two questions: 1) My wife is short and has trouble getting back far enough during a descent. I was thinking that a stem with a higher degree of rise (say 40%) would help some. The other idea is a bar that curves toward her. (Our favoriter local bike shop closed this month and the one I just visited was totally useless.) What do you think? 2) It sounds like you may also be in Central Maryland. Any suggestions for local single track rides for new riders in Maryland or West Virginia? For your wife, it is important that her frame is not too big. Assuming it is O.K., here are some downhill tips>>> *She may want a shorter stem, and/or riser bars which you could rotate to curve back towards the rear of the bike. *Lower the seat (quick release is mandatory here) about an inch or so before beginning the descent. *Make sure the saddle is back on the mounting rails. *For most descents, we like to stand on the pedals only (to lower the center of gravity) and keep little or no weight on the seat. *On difficult descents, I actually shift my weight way back and place it partly on my rear rack! *Have her keep her shoulders low and close to the handlebars while descending as well...One other tip that I remembered for going downhill>>>> try to keep your wrist position on the handlebars low. Your palms should face forward and perpendicular to the ground, not parallel. Keep your elbows low, and on the steeps, you can let your seat rest on your stomach with the tip of the seat almost resting on your sternum... If you e-mail me back and tell me exactly where you live in Md., we can sure tell you plenty of places to ride! We are also doing some trail maintenance with a ranger in the state park this spring, and you are welcome to attend if you like! I hope this info will help! Ride On ~~~MaNiMaL~~~~~ *Was wondering about what you recommend for the handlebar grips... Thanx! This is based on hand size and comfort. Bar-ends, cowhorns, and extenders are a must for climbing and to prevent fatigue. The grips must not move on the handlebar, and be soft and fit your hand well. Grips on bar-ends are a good idea. If you have BIG hands, try an oversize grip or oversize handlebar. If you are wide shouldered, you may need a longer handlebar. *How do I know if my stem is too long for me, and how should I adjust my riser bars? If your stem is too long, you may have the following things happen: 1) You may be stretching too much in your riding posture, and not have some bend at your elbows to absorb shock. This is the main thing to consider. 2) You will have too much weight over the front wheel, and be out of fore and aft balance - you have to feel for this. 3) If you are tall, your stem may need to be longer to give you more room, but if you are short, your stem should not be lengthened. 4) Don't forget, you can also adjust your saddle to move it toward the front or rear of your bike. This is another way to change or fine tune that "dimension" that is affected by stem length. * Riser bars are fine. Set your saddle height to the proper position. (Near the bottom of your pedal stroke, your leg should have a slight bend in it). Once your saddle height is set, then adjust the handlebars to be lower by about an inch below the saddle height. Sit on the bike and reach forward for the grips as if ready to apply the brakes. In this position, your shoulders should be about 1/2 way between your seat and hands. Your arms should not feel stretched, and your elbows should not project sideways from your shoulder width very much. Trying a few different positions of your handlebars is easy to do by just loosening them and rotating a bit to increase or decrease the rise>>> experiment until you feel comfortable. |
