3. To remove the cable, you need to push it through the other side of the shifter.
To do this, look for where the cable enters the shift lever and pull back on the cable housing to expose the cable
4. For STI shifters, squeeze the brake lever and press the shifter inward at the same time.
This will open up the center core of the shifter where the barrel at the end of the cable is seated. You should be able to see the barrel.
5. Push the cable into the shifter so that the barrel is forced through and out the other side.
Handlebar shifters have different ways of concealing the barrel end of the cable. On some, there may be a screw-in plug or rubber cap that hides the cables. On the popular Shimano STI–style shifter, where the shift lever is integrated into the brake level, the cable runs sideways through the shifter. When the chain is on the smallest gear and you pull back on the brake lever and shift lever at the same time, you can see the barrel on the end of the cable.
Use pliers to grab the barrel and pull the cable the rest of the way out of the lever.
6. Collect any ferrules that were holding the cable housing in place at the anchor points or cable stops.
You’ll use them when you reinstall the cable.
It’s a good practice to change the cable housing when you replace cable wires. Manufacturers often sell cable with the housing included in the package. They normally give you more housing than you need, so you’ll have to cut it to fit your bike.
Follow these steps to install the derailleur cable:
1. To install new cable and housing, you first need to prepare the cable housing.
Assuming that the old housing was the proper length, use the older pieces of cable housing as guides for cutting the new pieces. Use a cable cutter for this procedure — they cut the housing without compressing the end too much.
Even if you use cable cutter, you may need to file the end if it has any sharp edges. You may also need to open up the end of the housing with an awl or another pointed instrument if the end is closed up after cutting.
2. When you’re ready to install the new cable, use a rag to apply a light coating of grease to its surface.
3. For STI-style shifters, squeeze the brake lever, push the shifter to the inside to expose the hole for the cable, and insert the cable.
You may have to wiggle it around to pass it through the shifter.
4. Pull the cable out the other side of the shifter.
Some trigger shifters and most grip shifters will require you to open the shifter body to load the cable. This may be challenging, especially on grip shifters.
5. Attach the ferrules that came with the cable housing to the ends of each piece of housing where needed.
6. Insert the cable into the proper cable housing and pull it out the other end.
7. Route the cable and cable housing around the frame of the bike in the same position as it was before.
The ferrules at the ends of the cable housing should fit snugly into the cable stops on the frame.
8. Run the cable through the cable anchor bolt on whichever derailleur is correct for that cable and tighten the cable anchor bolt.
If you’re installing cables for the first time, they’re likely to stretch a little after you’ve used them. It’s a good idea to shift them though the full range of gears a few times after connecting them. Then pull the cable taut and reconnect the cable anchor bolt if necessary.
Gear Shifters
There are a variety of different shifters available today but they all do pretty much the same thing: pulling a cable to move a derailleur in one direction and then releasing the cable to allow the derailleur spring to move it in the other direction.
Most bikes these days use index shifters that are mounted on the handlebars. Index shifters make a click each time a gear change is made, which prevents riders from missing a shift. They’re much easier to use than the traditional friction-type shifters, seen mostly on older bikes. Friction shifters are usually mounted on the down tube as two levers that the rider moves up or down to move the derailleurs. For someone not used to friction shifters, it can be a little unnerving to take your hand off the handlebars to make a shift.
Most shifters today, such as the one shown in Figure 14-15, do not require much maintenance and are not designed to be dissembled. In some cases, worn levers can be replaced, but if the internal mechanism of the shifter starts to wear out and the clicks become less distinct, it’s probably time to replace the levers.
The one thing you can do with shifters is give an occasional spray of a light lubrication into their internal parts. Operate the shifter a few times after the application, and wipe off any excess grease.
To adjust the position, loosen the clamp bolt if there is one, and move the shifters to a more comfortable position (as shown in Figure 14-16). If the shifters are on a road bike and are wrapped with tape, instead of removing the tape, you can loosen the clamp holding the handlebars and rotate the handlebars forward or backward slightly.
Figure 14-15: Gear shifter.
Figure 14-16: Adjusting the position of the gear shifters.
Removing shifters
In this section, we tell you how to remove shifters on road bikes, with a focus on STI-style shifters, where the shifter is integrated into the brake lever. To remove the shifters follow these steps:
1. Unscrew or remove the handlebar end plugs and then remove the handlebar tape.
2. Locate the bolt that holds the shifter onto the handlebars.
The position varies on different types of shifters although in many cases you need to roll back the rubber hood to find it.
3. After pulling back the rubber hood and finding the bolt, use an Allen wrench to loosen the bolt without removing it.
This will loosen the bracket and allow you to slide the shifter off the handlebars.
4. Repeat steps 1 through 3 for the other shifter.
5. The final step in removing the shifters is to remove the brake (see Chapter 8) and shift lever cables (see “The derailleur cable,” earlier in this chapter).
Installing shifters
To install shifters, follow these steps:
1. Slide the bracket that holds the shifter onto the end of the handlebar and move the shifter toward the top of the handlebar.
2. Place a ruler against the bottom of the shifter lever and align it with the curved part of the handlebars.
This is a good starting point. From here, you can raise them slightly higher for a more casual and comfortable riding position.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for other shifter.
4. To make sure the shifters are level, set the ruler across the top of both and adjust their position as needed.
5. When you’ve found the proper position for the shifters, tighten the mounting bolts.
6. With the shifters in place, thread both the derailleur and brake cables through the shifters and continue the cable installation according to the instructions in this chapter for derailleur cables and Chapter 8 for brake cables.
7. Tape the handlebars according to the instructions in Chapter 15.
Chapter 15
Turning on a Dime: The Steering System
In This Chapter
Looking at the different types of handlebars
Taping your handlebars
Inspecting your headset
Adjusting and overhauling your headset
In this chapter, we take a look at your bike’s steering system and this system’s most important component, the headset. The steering system includes the handlebars, which are held in place by a stem. The stem connects to the top of the fork, which sits inside the head tube. On the inside of the top and bottom of the head tube are the
bearings. When these parts are in good working order, they provide you with a steering experience that is smooth and effortless.
At the center of the steering system is the headset, the group of parts (including the bearings) that are connected to the head tube and allow the handlebars, stem, and fork to turn. Although you may think that the headset plays a small role in the biking experience, it has to work hard to give you smooth, responsive turning, especially because the bearings it contains can take a serious beating when you ride. The constant bumps, jarring, and impacts are absorbed by the front wheel and transferred up the fork and into the bearings — and that’s what causes them to wear out over time. When your bearings start to wear out, what at one point felt like automatic steering on a luxury vehicle will start acting like rack-and-pinion steering on an old beater. So do yourself a favor and inspect your headset on a regular basis and overhaul it as a part of your annual maintenance — we tell you how in this chapter.
We also give you information on handlebars including the different types available for most bikes. Finally, we give you information on wrapping your handlebars with new tape, which can not only add a touch of color and a fresh look to your bike, but increase your comfort — for little cost and effort.
Gimme a Hand: Types of Handlebars
Without the handlebars, you wouldn’t be able to steer your bike. The handlebars are one of the three points where your body comes in contact with the bike, so you need to find handlebars that fit you well. The best fit handlebars can give you a great ride and even make up for a frame that doesn’t fit you perfectly. Poorly chosen handlebars can force you into an awkward position when you ride, making you uncomfortable, giving you numb hands and a stiff back, or worse.
If you’re shopping for handlebars, we recommend that you find ones that are designed to fit the type of bike you have, match the style of riding you plan on doing, and work well with the proportions of your body.
Here are the three main types of handlebars (see Figure 15-1):
Figure 15-1: The three types of handlebars: drop bars, flat bars, and riser bars.
Drop bars: Drop bars are popular on road bikes. Because of their design, they offer more hand positions, which is a luxury on long rides. They also provide a more aerodynamic position when you put your hands on the drops, or the curved part of the bars, which is helpful if you’re facing a headwind and want to get as low as possible.
One drawback of drop bars is that, if you rest your hands close together on the tops (the flat part on either side of the clamp), your hands won’t be close to the brakes if you need to brake suddenly — although they do make a second set of brake levers that are accessible for your hands on the flat part of the bars.
There are many different styles, shapes, and sizes of drop bars. Some have a flattened area in the curve of the drop section for greater support of your hands. Others have an expanded flat platform section on the upper flat part for more surface contact area for your palms.
Flat bars: Flat bars are popular on mountain and hybrid bikes. Their design provides more control and leverage in low-speed maneuvering, which is helpful if you’re maneuvering around obstacles on an off-road trail. Flat bars are nice for the recreational rider, because you’re sitting more upright and able to look around and enjoy the scenery.
The downside of flat bars is that they offer fewer positions in which to rest your hands. However, this isn’t usually a problem, because most riders are seated in a more upright position with less pressure on the arms and hands in the first place.
If you feel numbness in your hands, which can happen with any type of handlebar, check to make sure that you aren’t leaning too far over the handlebars. If you are, you may need to adjust your saddle forward, install a shorter stem, or consider buying a riser bar (on which both ends of the handlebar rise up slightly). Another option is to buy cycling gloves, which help reduce the impact and vibration of the ride.
Riser bars: On mountain bikes you sometimes need lift (the ability to raise your front wheel over obstacles). For road bikes, this isn’t an issue because your center of gravity is normally low and you’re riding on flat surfaces.
Handlebars designed with a rise improve the lift of a bike. Rise is the amount that the ends of the bars are higher than the clamp. With greater rise, the rider can move her weight back over the rear tire and increase lift, which is important for downhill biking competitions. This also allows the bars to be rolled or moved closer or farther away from you for your comfort and control.
Delving Deeper: Handlebar Options
There are a number of options when it comes to handlebars, and which ones you need to pay attention to depend on the kind of riding you’ll be doing and what style matches the physical proportions of your body. Here are the main options to consider:
Width: One measure for handlebars is their size from end to end. Narrow handlebars give you less turning power but more precise steering, sensitivity to slight movements. Wider handlebars give you leverage; they may not be as responsive to steering, but they give you a more stable, controlled ride, especially on rough terrain.
You normally want handlebars that are as wide as your shoulder bones. Handlebars that are narrower than your shoulders will constrict your breathing, because your arms are holding your chest inward. If your arms spread out too much wider than your shoulders, you actually begin to lose leverage.
Material: Most handlebars are made of either steel, chromoly (a steel alloy), aluminum, or carbon fiber. Aluminum and carbon are lighter and more comfortable than steel and chromoly. You’ll save weight with carbon, but you’ll end up paying more for it.
On flat bars made of steel, aluminum, or chromoly, you can shorten the width by cutting the ends.
Sweep: Handlebars may also have a certain amount of sweep (the angle that the handlebars bend either forward or backward from the stem clamp). The benefit of greater sweep is that it allows your wrists to be in a more natural and comfortable bent position. It also brings the bars back closer to you for easier control.
Taper: Some handlebars are narrower toward the ends. This saves weight and keeps the handlebars strong where they need to be.
Flare: On flared handlebars, the handlebar ends flare out rather than dropping straight down. They’re used in off-road racing.
Butting: Butting takes material out of the center section of the tube, while leaving the ends of the tube thicker where it’s needed for joint strength. Butting is used to increase the strength of the handlebars without adding weight. Butting is most often found toward the center of the handlebars. This design is used on specialized handlebars particularly risers used for downhill mountain-bike racing.
Bar ends: Bar ends are extensions added to the end of flat handlebars. They give you an increased number of positions for your hands and provide leverage when you’re climbing, by helping you move your weight back and lower your center of gravity.
If you’re shopping for new handlebars, make sure you check the clamp size for your stem. The most popular clamp size with road and mountain bikes is 25.4mm. In recent years, an oversize 31.8mm clamp size has been becoming popular on some mountain and road bikes. If you’re unsure of what size you have on your bike, check the owner’s manual or visit your local bike shop.
Taping Your Handlebars
Nothing makes a bike look more worn than ragged and tattered tape on the handlebars. Replacing old tape is a relatively simple and cheap procedure, and it’s a great way to add a little color and a fresh look to your bike while improving your comfort and grip.
To begin, you’ll need to remove the plugs from the end of the handlebars using a screwdriver to unscrew them or pry them off. If your brake levers have rubber or gum hoods, roll the back away from the handlebars — you don’t need to remove these hoods. Also, peel off the old tape, cleaning any sticky residue from the bars.
/> Here are some tips you should keep in mind when wrapping your handlebars with tape:
Some tape comes with gel patches for added comfort. If you’re using this kind of tape, place it on the handlebars in the positions described in the packaging instructions.
The tape will stay in place longer if you start at the bottom and work your way to the center of the bars.
When you start wrapping, leave about an inch of tape off the end of the handlebars. You’ll tuck these ends in with the plugs when you’re finished and they’ll help keep the bar end plugs in place.
Most tapes come with two small pieces that are used to cover the back of the clamps which hold the brakes in place. You don’t have to use these, but it gives you a much cleaner and finished look.
Overlap the tape by about a quarter to a half of the previous wrap. Pull it tightly but not so tightly that it’ll break.
When you reach the center of the handlebars, you should be out of tape. If you have additional length, you can continue wrapping in the opposite direction or cut off the excess.
When you’re finished, use electrical tape to secure the edge of the wrapping to the center of the handlebars. Wrap the electrical tape around the bars three to four times, pulling snuggly until the last time around. Cut the electrical tape with scissors and then secure the electrical tape without stretching it. If you pull and stretch the electrical tape, because of the elasticity of the tape, it’ll pull back halfway through your first ride.
To tape your handlebars, follow these steps:
1. Begin by wrapping the tape from the end of the handlebar, overlapping at least a quarter of the tape with each wrap (see Figure 15-2).
2. Continue wrapping the tape until you come to the bottom of the shifters.
When you purchase handlebar tape, it should come with a small piece that covers the part of the handlebar where the shifter is connected. Make sure you attach this piece (as shown in Figure 15-3).
Bike Repair & Maintenance For Dummies® Page 22