This Trek Bike Needed a Tune-Up! | Brakes, Gears & Wheel Truing | MrBikeFix, by MrBikeFix on YouTube. 10 min 32 s.
- Video length
- 10 min 32 s
- Time to do it
- 2 hours
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Put the bike in a stand and spin both wheels. Check brake pads, cable condition, rim wobble and shifting, then list what needs fixing.
Mount the wheel in a truing stand or the frame. Find the wobble, then turn the spoke wrench a quarter turn on the opposite spokes to pull the rim straight.
Cut the old brake cables and housing free. Fit new housing with clean cuts and smooth ends, then thread the new inner cables through the levers and calipers.
Clamp the brake cable at the caliper with the pads close to the rim. Squeeze the lever a few times, then set pad clearance evenly on both sides.
Run new shifter cables through the frame and derailleur. Set the rear shifter to the highest gear, pull the cable snug and clamp it, then check the tension.
Set the high and low limit screws on the Shimano Alivio derailleur. Shift through all 9 gears and turn the barrel adjuster until each shift lands cleanly.
Check bolt torque on stem, seatpost, brake mounts and derailleur with a torque wrench to the values marked on the parts.
Spin the wheels, test both brakes and shift through every gear. Adjust cable tension and pad position until everything runs smooth and quiet.
Tips and common mistakes
Make clean, square cuts in cable housing so the inner cable slides freely.
Turn spoke nipples in small quarter turns and check the rim often to avoid making the wobble worse.
Set the derailleur limit screws before touching cable tension, or the chain can drop off the cassette.
Lube the chain after cleaning and wipe off excess so grit does not stick.
Questions
Do I need a truing stand to fix a bent wheel?
No. You can flip the bike or use the frame with a zip tie as a guide, but a stand makes it much easier to see the wobble.
How do I know the rear derailleur is indexed right?
Shift through all 9 gears. Each shift should be quick and quiet with no rubbing, and the chain should not overshoot the largest or smallest cog.
Can I reuse the old cable housing?
Only if it is clean and the ends are square. Worn or kinked housing causes sticky brakes and sloppy shifting, so new housing is worth it.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
