Transmission is one of the bicycle parts that must be checked, due to friction and continuous wear of all its components. In addition, a breakdown of some of them - piñones, dish, divers or chain - entails a great expense since they are not economic pieces and the poor state of one ends affecting the others.
That is why it is advisable to perform a periodically review to the state of the transmission, as well as a correct lubricated and maintenance.
The good thing about the revision and maintenance of the transmission is that, in general, you can do it from home and it is simple. Performing the checkup in a correct way and on time you will prolong its useful life for a long time, it will work as you should and avoid expensive repairs.
Check the transmission from home in 6 simple steps
Each step of the review will be focused on a component or parts of the transmission, so that the check is complete. Next we explain how to review each component and how often you you must do it.
Chain: After each output
It is the transmission component that must be taken most and review. Your status must be checked after each output, especially if you practice cycling outside the asphalt, such as Mountain Bike or Grave.
If you accumulate dust or mud remains you have to clean it. First with soap and water or with a degreaser spray, dry it and grease it again, well
With oil or wax lubricant.
An essential tool that you should always have is a chain wear meter
In addition to cleaning and lubrication you must check the elongation of the chain. With the use the links of the chain are wearing and the chain lengthens, increasing friction and wear between it and the teeth of dishes and crowns.
That is why it is very important that you do with a chain meter and use it at least once a month to see the evolution of its wear. If the 1% (1.0) meter tips enter completely in the link of the links you must replace the chain with a new and also the cassette. In this video of Macario Llorente that we share they explain to detail how to use this meter correctly:
https://youtu.be/UTAGb8KBg_M
Dishes, crowns and roldanas: once a month
The next point is to check the state of dishes, pine nuts and roldanas. Check that the teeth are not dirty or accumulate powder or fat remains. If not, it would be convenient to clean them thoroughly with soap and water or applying degreaser product. It is convenient to review them, at least, every fifteen days or one month.
Divers: once a month
One of the points to which we must pay more attention, since the correct change of one pinion to another or from one plate to another depends on them. Check the rear diverter first. Verify that the upper roldana of the change patilla is aligned with the smallest crown and also with the largest, to avoid outputs or
sucked chain.
If you are not aligned, you will have to tighten or loosen the h screw from the deviation for the lower stop (smaller crown) until you leave it in the right position. The L screw, located next to H, will serve to align the roldana with the largest crown.
At the same time, check that the leg of change is not bent. If it is, it will be necessary to dismantle the rear diverter and straighten it. In this case, better ask for help from a mechanic, who will have the necessary tools for it.
For the front diverter, the alignment with the dishes is done in the same way to that of the rear. Tightening or loosening the respective H and L screws we will adjust the precision of the change of dishes and prevent the chain from getting out. Nor is it more to grease with a drop of lubricant (if it is for dry conditions better) the turning points of both deviators, every month or two months.
Connecting rods: once a month
One of the most frequent problems of a malfunction of the transmission, reason for annoying noises or creaks during pedaling, is the slack of the cranks. To verify that they are correctly tight you can pull them towards you in perpendicular to the sense of the march.
Cat manufacturers recommend a tightening of the same preventive every 200 km routes. But so that you do not forget, add this check to the monthly or bimonthly review that we recommend for components such as dishes, pine nuts or deviators.
Pedalier: once a year
As for the pedalier, it is advisable to do internal cleaning (bearings, bearings) and lubrication at least once a year. In case of practicing mountain cycling or after winter, external agents such as water, mud or dust can be introduced into the axis and damage, extra cleaning.
Button and wiring: once every two months
The penultimate step of the review is to check the status of the controls and change cables. For the former, prove that the levers move correctly on their axis and have no slack. Also that with each movement of this click and change the crown and the plate.
If you do not click or change you will have to open the butt cover, apply degreaser in spray and grease the mechanism with liquid lubricant. The chain lubricant can be worth but do not apply it in excess. This will allow the button to be dirt free and can move again correctly.
On the other hand, checking the status of the cables and cases of change is very important. Make a checking every two or three months of use, or after the winter or summer season. The existence of rubbed or cut covers will make a change necessary for new ones. An unjust and inaccurate marches can be due to the wear of the cables, which will have to be completely replaced.
Pedals: After each output
Finally, do not forget to review the pedals, both the lubrication of their docks and draft mechanism (without they are automatic) and their squeeze to the connecting rod. After each output, or after having washed the bicycle, you must apply a drop of lubricant on each of the pedal docks.
Secondly, check that they are well tight, since otherwise annoying noises can cause a result of the slack. We recommend removing the pedals, grease the thread of the connecting rod and that of the pedals with assembly fat and re -install them every two months if you have frequently bike.
Remember not to pass by pressing the pedals, since they themselves squeeze alone when pedaling and it will be very difficult to extract them in the next review
Frequent breakdowns of transmission and how to solve them
Then we list the most frequent problems that may arise if proper transmission maintenance is not performed:
Oxidized chain
It is not very difficult for the chain to oxide and it can happen even without being worn or elongated. If you have left with your bike on a rainy day and once the route has been finished, you have not cleaned or grease the chain, the oxide will begin to appear superficially.
If oxide appears in the chain, clean it thoroughly with a degreaser product. There are marks of lubricants that even have specific cleaners to eliminate oxide. Leave the product for a few minutes and then rub the surface of the chain with a fine wire brush. Then clarify with water, dry the chain with a rag and lubricate it again. If there is a lot of accumulated oxide, you must replace the chain for a new one.
Unjustified change
It is one of the most common breakdowns, the result of the use of the bicycle. The exchange cable tends to break over time. Any blow to the diverter or the leg of the change will cause that when you go up or down, pulls, jump to another crown or directly do not change.
To prevent it, you can adjust the change cable tension yourself from the cable tension wheel, usually located in the cable connector with the button. On road bicycles, it is usually placed at the height of the steering pipe. Touring the tensioner in the direction of the clock needles you will weave the cable so that the crowns fall better. On the other hand, so that the crowns go up correctly you must turn the tensioner in the opposite direction to the clock needles.
However, cable tension is not the only reason for a change malfunction. It may also be due to the leg of change is bent or that it is not properly aligned with the largest or largest crown in the cassette. In the latter case, the H and L screws of the deviation will have to be tightened or loosen, as we have explained above.
Broken teeth
A somewhat more serious breakdown is the breakage of a tooth of a plate or crown, the result of the impact of some stone, a fall, etc. This can cause leaps and chain exit, change of imprecise crowns, etc.
It will be necessary to replace the crown affected by one of the same number of teeth. Same situation for the dish. Do not delay its substitution, since otherwise the transmission will not work as it should and accelerate the wear of the chain, the cassette and the dishes.
Then we list the most frequent problems that may arise if proper transmission maintenance is not performed:
