by Damon » Thu Aug 26, 2010 2:37 pm Just last night I replaced my chain for the first time. That was remarkably easy with a Park Tool CT-5 chain tool. Chris at Fraser Cycle was helpful on the phone beforehand. I won't get into details but you basically push out a pin on the old chain, remove it, slide the new chain into place, and put in a new connector pin. Easy. Remarkable.
Re-wrapping bar tape is super easy... not sure why I ever went to the store to have them do that. Wow. Tools: scissors and electrical tape.
Replace cockpit- takes quite a while to remove bar tape, brakes, shifters, cables, etc. Then putting all that back on. Still, if you take your time and make sure you have all the pieces and tools you need, it's not that bad. My first go-round was 5 hours. I feel confident that I could cut that time in half at this point. Tools required: cable/cable housing cutter (suggest Park Tool $30), allen wrench multi, torque wrench (don't want to over-tighten anything).
Replacing brake cables- This is quite easy, especially if you don't have to remove the cable housing. Then you can simply re-route the cable through the housing and don't have to search around for any port holes, etc. If you DO have to replace the cable housing then leave the old cable in place, pull out the old cable housing. Cut the new cable housing to match the length of the old, and push the new cable housing back in place, using the old cable as a guide. This way you don't have to re-route through handlebars blindly which can be very difficult! Once the new cable housing is in place, you can easily pull out the old cable and insert the new one. After you've attached the new cable to the brake you can adjust the tension on the brake with the barrel adjust knob. Then you're pretty much ready to roll.
Tools: cable/cable housing cutter, new cables!, brake cable housing, hex wrench multi, pliers to grab and pull cable tight while you attach them to brake itself.
Replacing shifter cables- If you're replacing shifter cables then you'll also need to replace the shifter cable housing. This is different than brake cable housing (it's more sturdy and if you look at the inside of the cable you'll see how they are different). For the front derailleur you'll shift into the small chain ring (to release tension) and then you can release the cable. Leave the cable in place and remove the housing first, just like for the brakes. Replace with new housing and then remove the old cable. Re-route new cable and notice how much smoother and cleaner it is. Once the new cable is in place, pull it tight and secure it to the derailleur. Cut off the excess and clamp a cable cap on the end to prevent fraying and scratching. For the front derailleur you'll shift into the smallest rear cog (hardest gear) to release the tension on the cable. Then free the cable but leave it in place. There will likely be TWO housing pieces that need to be removed (one near rear derailleur and one up front). Don't worry about the rear piece yet, just remove both old pieces of housing. Put in the new housing, then remove the old cable. Replace with new cable and attach to real derailleur. See how the shifting works. You'll likely have to increase tension to make the "up" shifting better. Do this with the barrel adjust. It's a quick adjust. Anyway, about an hour (or less) is all it takes to change out the cables!
Tools: new cables, shifter cable housing and caps, cable/cable housing cutter, hex wrench multi, pliers (to pull cable tight while attaching to derailleurs... or a cable puller), tweezers (if you need to reach into frame to pull out a threaded cable- they don't always just come out the hole).
That's about it so far. I didn't include a ton of description but it could help you out. I can always provide further detail if prompted! Maybe a separate post for each procedure.
Damon
