trombone

Hello from a noob! I got back into cycling again about 18 months ago, and an loving it. Up until now I have been taking the thing to the LBS for servicing, but though perhaps I should be able to do a bit more myself.

Sheldon's fantastic website has helped loads, as has this site, but I have a few questions...

1) chain tension
My chain tension feels rather low; this is I think because the rear der doesn't have much spring left in its step. (The bike is a 1980's peugeot galibier tourer and still has the original simplex ders). It's OK, I think, and doesn't affect me when riding except when I go over a bump and I hear the chain rattle and I can sometimes feel it in the pedals as the tension changes.

It is worthwhile / possible to replace the spring? Or indeed just take it apart and clean it up in the hope that it will improve things? I've tried lubricating all the moving bits, but doesn't really help. Or, if I'm going to that much trouble, should I just get a new der? Or, (final option!) just leave it as it is? It's OK to ride, I just wonder if it will affect the rest of the (new) drivetrain in terms of rapid wear etc.

2) headset works loose
The top nut on the headset tends to work loose. Looking at it again tonight I think I now know the problem; the main nut and the locknut have been adjusted together (I didn't even realise there was a locknut, as the flats are perfectly aligned). Maybe that's it; however the whole thing just looks a bit different to the examples on Sheldon's site. Also how tight should it be?

3) creaky bars
The bars creak, especially when climbing and pulling on them hard. They are pretty new, but I have no idea what they are. And it seems to be the actual bars, rather than the mounting - I've checked that it's not a cable or the computer rubbing, and the mounting is tight with no hint of play or looseness. This wasn't worrying me until, when researching the headset thing on Sheldon's site, I read that creaking bars is a Very Bad Thing, and could be dangerous. The only other thing I could think of was it's the tape creaking where it's wound - if it's wound tight, I suppose it could do that when the bars flex a fraction.

Any help would be much appreciated!

HillRider

1. Wow, a Simplex derailleur! Parts are either unavailable or available only at collector's prices. Simplex has been out of business for years. Either ride it as is or replace it with a modern (and vastly superior!) derailleur. In fact, you might be able to sell the Simplex to someone doing a period restoration for significantly more than the cost of a replacement.

2. You need two wrenches to adjust the headset. One is a thin "cone wrench" to hold the lower adjustable cup flats and the other can be a regular open end or crescent wrench. Adjust the lower nut until there is no play in the headset but the fork turns freely, then hold that nut in place while you tighten the lock (top) nut. Usually there is a tabed washer between the two nuts that is keyed into a groove in the steerer tube to help prevent the adjustable cup from turning while you tighten the top nut. You should tighten the top nut very snugly.

3. Is the bar diameter is correct for the stem? Not considering the newest "oversize" components, stems and bars come in three diameters, 26.4 mm (older Cinelli), 26.0 mm (common for European bars and stems) and 25.4 mm (common on lower line road bikes and on MTBs. If the bar and stem diameters don't match, that could be the cause. If they do match, loosen the stem clamp bolt, slide the bars sideways, grease the portion of the bars inside the clamp and reassemble. Tighten the stem clamp firmly.

trombone

Thanks for the advice - I like the idea of buying a new rear der and then selling the old one to a restorer. Maybe I should go the whole hog and sell the front one too, and the shifters, if they might be worth something! Could just replace the lot.

The creaky bars is a weird one. When I flex the bars I can hear the creak, and it just doesn't sound like it's coming from the mounting point - actually it sounds more like it's coming from where the brakes are attached. That said, I know creaks and rattles are notoriously hard to pin down to a location; they often sound like they come from somewhere other than the actual problem part. I have exactly the same issue locating vibrations on my trombone...!

dereknc

I had the creaky bar problem on my first road bike. It actually turned out the stem had seized up inside the steerer tube from corrosion. I'd definitely grease the stem as soon as possible since they can be a bear to get out.