Maintenance Queries

Hi all,

Thanks for all your replies to my earlier queries. As with everything, i have a few more -

1. Are bottom brackets standard sizes? If there is very slight movement in the cranks should this be addressed by changing the BB? (very, very slight)

2. It i wanted to change my cranks, would the BB have to be changed too?

3. After 29 years should a headset bearings be renewed? There appears to be nothing wrong with the current ones though.

4. Why do some bikes have different dropouts to others? My old bike (the Raleigh) has a long dropout at the rear with an adjuster, my new bike has a dropout which faces downwards and has no adjustment.

5. I imagine the above queries are easy to answer to most of the posters here, are there any books which would help me with my simplistic queries?


Thanks (in anticipation)

1. Are bottom brackets standard sizes? If there is very slight movement in the cranks should this be addressed by changing the BB? (very, very slight)

No, they come in MANY differen't sizes/threads etc, best going to a LBS if you are unsure on this one.

Maybe, depends on if the cranks are tight enough to the BB spindle because the play could be there (unlikely) Most likely it is your BB, but it could need adjustment rather than replacement.

2. It i wanted to change my cranks, would the BB have to be changed too?
Not if the BB is in good serviceable order and is the same fitting as the new cranks.

3. After 29 years should a headset bearings be renewed? There appears to be nothing wrong with the current ones though.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

4. Why do some bikes have different dropouts to others? My old bike (the Raleigh) has a long dropout at the rear with an adjuster, my new bike has a dropout which faces downwards and has no adjustment.
he design have change on these parts of the bike, the modern type that are straight down are called vertical dropouts, the diagonal type on your raleigh are called horizontal drop outs, and ones that are truly horizontal and run parallel with the road are called track dropouts.


5. I imagine the above queries are easy to answer to most of the posters here, are there any books which would help me with my simplistic queries?
Books? You have the internet!

TGR":hzxdjzzs said:

Hi all,


5. I imagine the above queries are easy to answer to most of the posters here, are there any books which would help me with my simplistic queries?

Click to expand...

Sheldon Brown's website has a lot of useful tips for bike maintenance and repair - although personally I find he has a tendency to give the impression that you can improvise a lot of tools even as an inexperienced mechanic. My
experience is that it's less frustrating in the long run to find the right tools in the first place...

Park Tool's site is good too.

The best guide for mechanics is the Barnett Manual. You have to subscribe to it but then you get regular updates. You may be able to find older editions on the internet if you search around - although these may be in breach of copyright. This manual is really well written and goes through things in clear steps. It covers things in proper detail which is better for a novice mechanic.

Most of the print books on bike repair are not worth bothering with. They are either slightly out of date or don't go into enough detail for any but really basic repairs.

Happy reading,

Johnny