cassette, chain and gear cable question(s)

hello you lovely people.

I need to change the chain, cassette/cogs AND the gear cable on my bike. It might just be the cable that needs changing but I'm pretty sure the rest can do with updating as well. Is it worth doing myself or shall I just get the bike shop to do it for me? It doesn't look that hard but I haven't got any specialist tools and I've never done it before. How much would a shop usually charge for this? I'm loathe to take the bike in cos it normally comes out with more problems than when it went in - the bike is a 90s road number and the little tykes in the shops don't know how to treat it properly.

Any suggestions on a nice bike shop somewhere near Dalston?

I've read lots on it but can't decide if I'm going to end up spending loads of money on something I can't do properly.

many thanks.

Micycle Islington
it's a quick and easy job. you can even do it yourself there as they have an open workshop

hello you lovely people.

I need to change the chain, cassette/cogs AND the gear cable on my bike. It might just be the cable that needs changing but I'm pretty sure the rest can do with updating as well. Is it worth doing myself or shall I just get the bike shop to do it for me? It doesn't look that hard but I haven't got any specialist tools and I've never done it before. How much would a shop usually charge for this? I'm loathe to take the bike in cos it normally comes out with more problems than when it went in - the bike is a 90s road number and the little tykes in the shops don't know how to treat it properly.

Any suggestions on a nice bike shop somewhere near Dalston?

I've read lots on it but can't decide if I'm going to end up spending loads of money on something I can't do properly.

(Sorry,I'm re-posting this as I get the feeling no-one reads the mechanics page.)

many thanks.

why have you started a duplicate thread in the wrong section?

because i'm a maverick thread started.

and also fairly desperate.

You will need tools.

Buy this book:

Zinn & The Art of Road Bike Maintenance

Then, as you require to do jobs, start buying the tools needed - soon you'll have everything you need and be able to do anything yourself.

It's a bit of an investment but at a full service/stripdown costing about £100 or more, you'll start saving money pretty quickly and you'll get to know your own bike.

This ^.

thanks for the advice so far, all very helpful.

i love it when threads get moved.

The release date of above book, which looks good, is 1st March 2013. Yet the subtitle is 'The World's Bestselling Bicycle Repair and Maintenance Guide' - new edition?

it's to fool suckers like me.

It is a new edition. But, if you've got an older bike, then the previous editions are heavily discounted on Amazon...

(I'm still using the second edition.)

thats good to know. my bike is about 20 years old i'd say.

Dear LFGSS

Bump. Never changed gear cables before, now installing some on a new build (have built bikes before but never with gears...) Sheldon says "crisscross" the cables.

I think this means:

Rear cable route: right hand shifter to left hand gear cable stop on top of down tube near head tube in housing, then continue down to right hand side of plastic cable guide on bottom bracket, then on to rear mech.

Front cable route: opposite. Left lever, right frame cable guide, left side of plastic bottom bracket guide, front mech.

This will result in the crossing of the exposed cables somewhere down the length of the underside of the down tube. Presumably this is the crisscross. Is this right?

Yours sincerely,

Cables crossed of London

Yes, this is correct. I have read this article too though I have never done it myself, nor ever seen it done on any other bike. I am not sure what advantages this has over conventional routing.

Yup, that's it.

The main thrust of Sheldon's cabling "philosophy" is to run the cables in as smooth a curve as possible, which reduces friction improving their operation.

Another advantage is that you will eliminate cable rub on the headtube.

I also cable my brakes "forrin" style for a less acute curve, ie connect the front brake to the left lever. Of course this assumes that you have modern callipers with the cable adjuster on the right (for the front).

Another advantage is aesthetic, as the cables are a bit more hidden since they run mainly under the down tube.