Mountain Biking - Long time no see... More problems arise. =(

Hey evy'one!!

Long time no see! I haven't been really biking much so there were no problems...

But now, i've been going to my local BMX track to just have fun and keep fit!

Still have my Trek 3900 though... :(

So anyways, these are the problems and i need ya'll (is that rite?) suggestions!!

1. Shifting still sucks. I know it's an Acera, but cmon...
It wont shift down to gear 8. I tried adjusting it with the high and low screws... just made things worse. Then i went to my BMX track and asked the owner of the track for help... He adjusted the barrel adjuster and said the cable was too old/rusty so it wont shift well. After he was done adjusting, it got worse. Now on my Shifter is says '1' but on the cassette it's on '2'. Grr....

So my question is :
Should i just oil the cables?
...Or should i ask my LBS to change the cables for me? And/or get full housing cables?

2. About my ol' v-brakes n' true wheelzzz.

So my v-brakes are gettin cranky... I have no idea how to get them to pull equally on both sides... :(

Also, my wheels are out of true. The last time i went to my LBS, the guy just said 'it's true already, there's nothing to true.' This untrueness, as i call it, causes my brakes to rub onto the rims every time my wheel makes one revolution. :crash:

3. I wanna jump onto the singlespeed bandwagon!! :D

How?? Should i just get a conversion kit? My LBS doesn't them though... And will i have to change my hub?

I guess that's enough for now. I still have more rants about my bike but... i dont wanna get ya'll pissed at my n00bness. :D

I can't help you with #3 but for the shifting and brakes it sounds like you just need to do some simple maintenance and maybe put some new cables/liners on. Check out Park Tool (http://parktool.com/repair/) for help with making any repairs or adjustments that you need.

Personally, I'd start by trying to lube the cables with some Tri-lube or equivalent dripped into the top of the cable liners (shifters and brakes). After that, disconnect the shift and brake cables and try to adjust them as if they were new to your bike. You can find step-by-step info at Park Tool or Shimano's website. If you take you time and do it right you'll probably be able to cure most of your problems.

Good luck,
Mike

Thanks alot, Mike. =D

Well whadya think of me getting full housing for my cables?

Are there any advantages and/or disadvantages?

I run full housings on mountain bikes. We have very wet winters up here in the Pacific Northwest and when I come home I have pine needles, leaves, and mud just cakes on to all parts of the bike. Full sleeves keep the crud out so my shifting doesn't suffer. Order up some Jagwire or if that's not available over there find out what you can buy in long lengths from your local shop.

Mike

How wet are the summers?

^ when was in Alaska (14 years) Summers were rather dry. We always had major issues with wild land fires, and drought conditions.

Thanks for all the advice!

So i brought my bike to my LBS today...

Got my shifting and brakes fixed... (i seriously need to learn how to fix it without making it worse, LOL)

and got a ...'quick-release'... for my chain. is that the right word?

And bought a need saddle... =D

Specialized Sonoma Sport...

trying that out tmr... give you guys a review later... XD (maybe...!!)

Back to cables, the guy just kinda used some type of thing like sonax on my cables (im not sure if he lubed it) and wiped it all the way. When i asked him about full housing, he said
'it would be better, but water can still get in, and when it does, it's a real pain-in-the-neck to get them dry'

So im fine with my sexy housing cables... XD

On singlespeeds, is it true you need an adjustable horizontal dropout to make the switch?