Suspension on a mountain bike reduces rider fatigue and improves the bike wheels contact on rough terrain. When adjusting, your aim is to balance between a soft and a hard setup. Too soft will result in your bike wheels not travelling far enough in a dip and too hard will cause your bike to bounce off rough terrain.

The sag determines the amount that the mountain bike suspension compresses.

I’ve demonstrated the repair on a Voodoo Canzo bike which is a pretty high spec mountain bike.

Step 1: Measuring sag

If your bike doesn’t come with an O-ring, as the Voodoo Canzo does, then simply secure a zip tie around the leg. Then, slide it down the fork leg until it reaches the fork wiper seal.

Step 2: Sit on the bike

Next, you’ll need to get a friend to hold you in position or alternatively prop yourself up against a wall using your elbow.

Sit down on the bike in the normal riding position and be careful not to compress the fork too much as you get on. If you do then simply take your weight off the bike and reset the O-ring or zip tie.

Step 3: Aiming for 20-25%

Then, climb off the bike, whilst being cautious not to compress the fork further.

Measure the sag from the fork leg. You need to be aiming for 20% to 25% of the total travel available. The total travel available can be found in the bicycle’s handbook or, if you’ve lost that, then by looking it up online.

The Canzo features the Rockshox Ario R by Sram. This has 140mm of travel. The manufacturer recommends, 15-25% of travel is 28mm (20%).

Note that the 20% to 25% is a general recommendation that works for most. However, you may find yourself adjusting this depending on your riding style.

Step 4: Increasing or decreasing pressure

If your bike has air sprung forks then you decrease the air pressure to increase the sag. Alternatively, increase the air pressure by pumping more air into the fork to reduce the amount of sag.

Depending on your measurement, either increase or decrease the sag, remembering to aim for around 20% to 25% sag. You should make incremental changes and check them by re-setting the O-ring and climbing back on the bike.

Your mountain bike may use a coil-sprung system instead. In this case, adjustments are made using the dial on the fork crown that controls the spring. This has a limited range of adjustment. If you need to make further changes you’ll need a firmer or softer spring. However, the default spring should be fine for most situations. To increase the sag in a coil-sprung system simply turn anti-clockwise.

There is also one more factor to take into account. Something that is called bottoming out. This is when the suspension reaches the end of travel when you hit rough terrain. On the opposite end of the scale, is an effect called topping out. This is when the suspension reaches its full extension. Budget mountain bikes don’t have a system to control this and therefore the bike bobs up and down. On a budget mountain bike your only option therefore is to increase the spring rate if the fork is bottoming out too much. Note that some bottoming out isn’t a problem.

Higher end mountain bikes have a compression damping which can be increased if the fork is bottoming out too often.

Suspension fork sag adjustment

As I mentioned in the beginning this is a good adjustment to make when you first buy a mountain bike. Always consult with the manual when it comes to making adjustments like these or alternatively check with official advice online. Unfortunately, manufacturers don’t always make this as easy to find as you’d like.

See also:

• Assembling a flat pack bike
• Replacing hydraulic disk brake pads
• Fixing the most common mechanical problem with bikes in London

Big thank you to Mark’s Cycle Repairs for helping me put this repair together for the Bike Doctor App (Already in iPhone version, soon to be in Android version)

Mark offers excellent prices and repairs for all sorts of bikes and if you live in the direction of Kent (Orpington) specifically then you should check him out:

http://www.markscyclerepairs.com/

To replace hydraulic disk brake pads you will need:

• New brake pads – similar to the ones you are using before
• Pliers – to pull out the retaining pin
• Tyre lever or pad separator – to pry open tightly closed pistons
• Disk brake cleaner – if you feel the rotor needs cleaning

Background to the repair:

Hydraulic Disk Brake Pads are well known for needing little maintenance. The piston automatically moves in as the pads wear and therefore you don’t spend every other weekend tweaking them (damn you V-brakes!).

Pads need to be replaced once they reach 1mm or less or thickness. After that they’ll start to wear out the rotors.

This repair is useful for just doing an inspection of the pads and if they are worn then heading to the local bike shop to buy a replacement.

Disk brake Pad types

Two types of pad can be used for disk brake repair. Organic and sintered. Many pro-riders use one of each in the calliper to get both the benefits.

Organic pads will need some breaking in before any heavy riding. A couple of hard stops helps to get them working correctly. Sintered pads don’t need breaking in. They are hotter and somewhat heavier than organic pads but are ont appropriate in all disk brake systems. Whilst more effective, they do wear out the rotor more quickly than organic pads will.

Additional notes on the video:

Your disk brake design will vary slightly. Some pads for example are held in place using bolts instead of split pins. Also some disk brake pads are removed upwards instead of downwards. Be aware of this when following the instructions.

During the repair when the pads are out is a good opportunity to clean the calliper. Do so using an old toothbrush or a cotton swab.

Any questions feel free to ask below! Hope this video is of use and if it is please do hit the like button as it means more people get to see it!

See also:

• Bike Doctor App
• Mark’s Cycle Repairs
• Fixing the most common mechanical problem with bikes in London
• The Ultimate Guide to Bicycle Maintenance review

They are nearly 5 years old so it’s time for a replacement. If your jockey wheels are looking worn out by rust or their teeth have worn away then a replacement is easy. Most jockey wheels can be simply taken off, cleaned, greased and then put back on the bike.

1. If the old jockey wheels are looking worn out then get yourself a pair of new jockey wheels. Note that the upper and lower jockey wheels are normally slightly different in size. You can use your existing pair of jockey wheels to work out which new ones you need. As my drivetrain is a Shimano and it’s a hybrid bike, I needed Shimano mountain bike jockey wheels.
2. Grab some grease and an Allen Key.
3. Get the chain off the bike using a quick release link or a chain tool if your chain doesn’t have a quick link.
4. Choose which one of the two jockey wheels you will service first. It’s best to do them one at a time so as not to be confused as to which one goes where.
5. Undo the bolt using an Allen key and clean the jockey wheel.
6. Apply grease to the bolt, bushing sleeve and inside the pulley wheel.
7. Put the jockey wheel back together and re-attach it to your bike. Making sure to firmly tighten it.
8. Repeat with the other jockey wheel
9. Re-attach the chain making sure to thread it over the top jockey wheel (it will currently be at the bottom height wise), under the top jockey wheel and finally up and over the lower jockey wheel.
10. Re-attach the quick release link or push the chain pin back in using a chain tool.

For a video of how to do this I recommend Bicycle Tutor.

Also in this overhauling your bike series:

• Chain and V-brake maintenance

I must be one of thousands of London cyclists who’ve experienced this. How do I know it? Because I hear the grinding sound all the time. At traffic lights especially.

But why? Why is your beautiful bike causing you so much hassle at this moment of need and potentially putting you in a dangerous situation?

The answer probably lies in the cassette.

The cassette is a true thing of beauty. A complex marvel representing the progress of bicycles. But when it is worn out it’s a true pain the %*$£”!

When you apply pressure to the pedals the chain tries to grip the teeth. If the teeth are too worn then the chain will simply slide forward.

Before definitely pointing the finger of blame on the cassette it is worth noting that there are other potential culprits. One is the chain. Two is the rear derailleur indexing.

With some Poirot style investigating you should be able to find whodunit. The first thing to do is to check if the chain is worn.

If the chain seems worn then maybe it is a good time to replace it. It is also worth checking the teeth on the cassette. The one in the picture above is worn out where as the below is a new cassette. You can see a new cassette has more clearly defined teeth.

Replacing the cassette

If this is your culprit then replacement is fairly easy. For the bike shop route you’ll be looking at £25 for labour plus the cost of parts. For a Shimano cassette the cost can be as little as £23.99. But the prices go up from there.

You could also choose to do it yourself. The only bad news about this is that you do need some bike specific tools. Namely a chain whip and a lockring tool. This will set you back £10 – £20. You’ll also need a spanner or a wrench.

Doing it yourself will work out cheaper even with purchasing the tools.

I put together this below video while I was doing the cassette replacement on my bike. Note that it is common practise to replace the chain at the same time as installing a new cassette (unless the chain is only a few weeks old anyway).

Also in the overhauling your bike series:

• Replacing your chain and overhauling your v brakes

Buying a bike stand is one of those moments when you realise maybe you are getting a bit too into cycling. What will be next? I cannot be sure. Perhaps a whole garage dedicated to cycling. With bikes hanging from the walls and bicycle parts scattered all over the place. The problem is; I don’t have a garage. So my neighbours will be the first to complain when they have to battle locked up bikes to reach their front door.

Anyway, when you want to get more into playing with your bike and doing maintenance yourself eventually you get sick of a bike that seems to have a mind of its own. You go to adjust the brakes and the handlebars turn and the bike topples over. Angered you set it back up again. Within seconds it’s back on the ground.

To defeat the bike with a mind of its own you need a bike stand. Problem is it’s a little expensive and it takes up a lot of room. That’s where a portable bike stand comes in.

Portable bike stand numero uno

Nicole has already mentioned the Andy Stand. At £40 it’s pretty much half the price of most regular big bike stands. The good news: It keeps the bike really stable. The bad news: it only fits certain bike types. Not ideal.

Then came along a great recommendation from Craig in the comments and mentioned the…

Topeak FlashStand

Now were in business. The Topeak FlashStand looks like this:

Folded up it is:
7.5” x 3.1” x 1.8” (Folded)

Or a little bit bigger than a pint glass to alcoholic you and me.

Price wise it’s cheaper than the Andy Stand. The Topeak costs £29.99 at most places but on Wiggle they have it for just £24.29 (Normally: £26.99).

The portable bike stand means that you can spin your cranks without having to lift up the bike yourself. It also keeps it from toppling over while you are tinkering with different parts.

The downside is it doesn’t lift the bike that far up so you still have to lean down to reach different parts. If working on a bike for a long time then this becomes a problem. Also according to reviews the portable bike stand isn’t that stable. So if you are applying heavy pressure and doing more complicated maintenance jobs it probably won’t suffice.

Also recommended in the comments is the…

Halfords storage and maintenance bike stand

Again the stand suffers from some limitations. But at £9.99 you may well be able to overlook that. The Halfords bike stand is small, cheap although not quite as impressively foldable as the Topeak.

It is available for £9.99 from Halfords.com

Then there is also the:

Minoura bike stand

Hilary recommended it saying:

I’ve had this Minoura stand for a few years.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/minoura-ds30blt-workstand/

It’s cheap, folds flat so it takes up no room and is dead easy to use. I find it ideal for drive train maintenance or just supporting the bike.

At £19.79 the price is pretty good. According to reviewers the best way to use the Minoura portable bike stand is to shove it on a table which also saves you from leaning over. The only downside reported is that fitting it to some bikes can be a little fiddly.

The Minoura portable bike stand is available from Wiggle.

If you’ve got a little more cash lying around (look in-between the sofa cushions) then suitable for heavy maintenance jobs is the:

Raleigh folding bike stand

It costs £73.16 but it makes light work of all maintenance jobs without taking up too much room.

In the end if you are picking the right one for you, you should ask yourself: what kind of maintenance will I be doing? If you are still happy to leave the big jobs to the pro’s then the Topeak portable bike stand or the Minoura will do. If you want to get more into bike maintenance then the folding Raleigh is the right choice.

See also:

• Andystand review by Nicole
• 10 cheap and easy DIY bike projects anyone can do
• Breathing new life into an old bike

Ok, so they won’t do themselves but there are so many nifty gadgets to assist.  In Andreas’ post of yesterday "Breathing New Life Into An Old Bike", there was a picture of his bike on a workshop stand.  I’ve been toying with buying one of these for a while but I wasn’t quite sure if I’d get any use out of it and to get a good one, I think you would need to spend about £100.   A couple of weeks ago I saw something called an Andystand on the internet.  I asked Andy to send me one to test out and he duly obliged.  Andy has just started his business manufacturing the stand after one of those eureka moments in his garage with his mountain bike.  I thought it might solve my problem of how to fix my bikes without shelling out for that work stand that I may never use.

At that stage I wasn’t sure if I could do any routine maintenance, or was going to do any on a routine basis, so I didn’t want to buy an expensive stand. The Andystand seems to be the perfect compromise. Each stand is only about £40, with a discount for two or more and they come in different colours.

It’s a tubular frame, the top tube of which slots very neatly into the hole in the bottom bracket of most modern bikes. There must be a hole in the bottom bracket of about 20 ml diameter otherwise it won’t fit.  Disappointingly, my upright bike doesn’t fit because it doesn’t have enough clearance.  The point of the stand is to hold the bike steady, either wheel touching the ground, while repairs and general maintenance, washing etc. can be carried out, and because it’s incredibly light and portable you can use it to hold the bike when travelling.   I was out on the South Downs on Sunday morning and it was blowing a gale.  On the top photos you can see that I used my Andystand to hold the bike while I put my shoes on and got ready (can’t drive in cleats!) otherwise it would have fallen over in the wind!  When I got back home I put it on the stand to give it a clean up and once over, and I also use it just to store my bike on at home.  It takes up much less room than a conventional work stand.

A really great little gadget for when a work stand is too expensive, or too big for the bike shed.

• Breathing new life into an old bike
• Cleaning your bike
• Repairing your bike using your iPhone
• How much should you pay for a repair in a London bike shop?

The app is called Bike Doctor and it shows you how to complete 24 common bike repairs. It will help you keep your bike in perfect working order and save you the frustration of riding around on a squeaky and half-working bike!

We built it because we were frustrated at how bike repair manuals often leave you confused with not enough pictures illustrating each step and language that is hard to follow. To combat that, we created an app that makes bike repairs possible for even a complete beginner to do.

The Android app that will save you money..

If you use the app just once on a simple bike repair such as fixing a puncture you’ll save yourself £10 – £20. On the more complex repairs the saving are far greater!

Be sure your bike is safe to ride..

The Bike Doctor App for Android and iPhone will talk you through exactly how to safety check the different parts of your bike. So you’ll be sure you’ll never have a situation where parts start flying off in all directions!

Never again put up with wobbly wheels and squeaky breaks..

Don’t let yourself endure a sub-par cycling experience. Get your bike repaired quickly and easily so that it rides just like the day you left the bike shop.

A bike mechanic in your pocket at all times..

Problems with your bike don’t tend to crop up while it’s sat in your house. Bike Doctor is there with you at all times, ready to spring to action and help out!

A helping hand even for a pro..

We’ve also found the Bike Doctor app has been a hit amongst those more experienced in bike repairs as it is so useful to quickly refer to.

Here is a video showing the Bike Doctor App on the Android:

Get the Bike Doctor App on your phone

The Bike Doctor app can be downloaded on the Android by searching for “Bike Doctor” in the market or using the qrCode below:

Bike Doctor is also available on the iPhone and iPod Touch

Others are quite happy taking their bike to a knowledgeable friend in return for a few pints or the nearest bike shop.

So in this weeks “Forum Friday” I want to know which you prefer..

If you want to find out more about bike maintenance you can join the newsletter to get my free downloadable guide to basic repairs or if you’re an iPhone user then grab the Bike Doctor app that will show you how to repair your bike using your iPhone.

This weeks posts:

In case you missed them!

• Monthly roundup – September’s cycling in London
• Keep your cycling snug and warm – Winter cycling gear
• Leave your puncture repair kit at home – Puncture proof tyres

Have you ever been shocked at the high price of repairs that bike shops quote? The solution is simple and is available in the repair books listed in this post.

Whilst we have already covered online bicycle repair resources, books can be an authoritative source of information and sometimes easier to follow. The prices range from around £9 – £14 but each one has the opportunity to pay for itself many times over. First of all let’s start with a quick comparison of the top sellers:

There are some commonalities between the repair books. They all have introductions to the kind of tools you will need, they are all written by huge bicycle enthusiasts and all have troubleshooting sections which are great for resolving common problems such as squeaking brakes. Let’s have a look at each one individually.

Mountain Bike Maintenance: The Illustrated Manual (US version of book )

In terms of illustrations this is the clearest of all three bicycle repair books. Each step has its own colour picture making it very easy to follow.

The book has large clear headings so you know what each page is covering and the content feels well spaced out. Where other books may switch between components, which can be confusing, this book focuses on one component per section. For example V-brakes are covered first, followed by cantilever brakes and then disc brakes. This also makes it very easy to use as a quick reference guide for repairs and adjustments.

Mel Allwood writes in a very clear style and of all three books I found it the easiest to follow. This makes it very well suited to beginners. The vast majority of repairs you are likely to come across are covered. However, for more advanced repairs and a wider coverage of components it is best to look elsewhere.

Just a quick note on the availability of this bicycle repair book. I personally ordered it from Amazon.com rather than .co.uk as it worked out much cheaper, even with shipping.

Zinn & The Art of Road Bike Maintenance (US version of book)

This is the only book out of the three to opt for drawings rather than pictures. At first look you may think this would be a disadvantage. However, I found that the illustrations were clearer than the pictures found in Todd Down’s book.

Navigation is fairly good with bold headings to guide the reader. However, this bicycle repair book does suffer from too often switching between components leaving you sometimes thinking “which component am I reading about again?”

On the whole however the book is well written and instructions are easy to follow. A wide range of components is covered and also there is fairly good coverage of more advanced repairs. The text won’t leave you wishing for more information as is often a downfall with Todd Down’s book. This book is catered for beginners to midrange users.

Worthy of a mention is the highly resourceful emergency repair section which is useful for repairs while out on a ride. I particularly enjoyed the picture of a cyclist smacking their wheel against the ground to straighten it with the word “klonk” printed next to it. The appendix also includes some useful extras such as a troubleshooting index, road bike fitting guide and a torque table.

Bicycle Maintenance & Repair: For Road & Mountain Bikes (US version of book)

The illustrations in this bicycle repair book can be described as unclear and insufficient. The pictures that are included tend to be too focused on one part of the bike to work out what is going on.

The text also tends to be hard to follow. Take for example one section that simply reads “True the wheel.” Logically after this you would expect: “(See section V-II page 38)”. No such luxury in this book.

Whilst I did enjoy Todd Down’s writing style I found this book lacking in detail when it was most needed. For example there is a detailed explanation of the history of brakes which is very interesting however when it comes to actually adjusting brakes far too little space is dedicated to it.

Overall bicycle repair book review

For complete beginners I would stick to Mel Allwood’s: The Illustrated Manual and as experienced is gained move on to Zinn. I would recommend staying away from Todd Down’s book as I simply found it lacking in detail where it was needed and badly illustrated. Obviously your choice of book will depend on the type of bicycle you are repairing.

There is a great satisfaction that comes from been able to do your own repairs and maintain your bike rather than rely on bike repair shops. These books help you do that.

Often people argue about the value of a book versus online repair websites. The truth is that books will inevitably become out of date and will be limited in the range of components they can cover. I believe however there is still a lot of value in a book as it has been very well thought out and can be great for beginners. Ultimately you will probably find yourself complementing a book with an online resource such as the Park Tool Repair website. If you have used and fallen in love with a bicycle repair book please leave a recommendation.

Don’t miss out on future updates by subscribing either via e-mail, RSS or twitter.

Bicycle Tutor

Bicycle Tutor which is ran by Alex Ramon is brilliant. There is a good collection of bike repair videos which clearly show how to fix common bicycle issues. The well thought out site also contains forums where you can ask questions, a live chat feature to talk to Alex and even an area to post requests for what kind of videos you want to see added next. What more could you ask for?

Make sure you check out: WHY WD-40 is bad for your bike chain

Instructables: Bicycle Repair

This how-to website has a fair number of bicycle repair videos and slideshows. The two big benefits of this site is that the videos are rated by users so you can see which ones are worth watching and also it features some unconventional solutions that people have concocted to save you money.

Make sure you check out: Home bicycle repair stand

Sheldon Brown Bicycle Technical Information

Due to the sheer depth and quality of the articles on this site I can recommend it to anyone from beginners to pro’s. The site has an old school quirky design which doesn’t lend itself too well to navigation. Using the search engine to get around is a must.

Make sure you check out: Brake adjustments

Good luck with your repairs Let me know in the comments about what sites or books you use.

You may also be interested in:

• The best bicycle repair book
• Get a new bicycle for less by following these 10 rules of negotiation
• How to commute faster – tips for speedy cycling
• Take your music with you on your daily cycle