Welcome to Jake's Bikes...
Recycled bicycles for sale, affordable servicing and repairs, and cycle maintenance tuition
Our aim is to help as many people as possible to lead a healthier, more environmentally friendly and happier lifestyle through enabling and promoting cycling. By providing recycled bikes, affordable maintenance and repairs, and cycle maintenance classes, Jake's Bikes supports and encourages cycling for all.
"Jake is a genuine individual who wants to help you spend as little as possible on repairs of your bike, helps you to undertake basic repair yourself, engages with you on a personal level and is most importantly the most switched on bike mechanic ever."
John Willmore, Bristol - 19th August 2008
Tip of the month: Loose bearings
Any turning or spinning part of a bike normally requires ball bearings for it to run smoothly. They are used in the wheels, the pedals and bottom bracket (for pedalling), the headset (for steering), and the freewheel. Ball bearings are an ingenious invention, already common on bicycles over 100 years ago, but still in use today virtually unchanged in their design. Without them, a bicycle would be slower, harder to ride and would require much more maintenance.
After a while, most types of ball bearings need adjustment and a bit of new grease. With correct maintenance of this type e.g. every 6 or 12 months, most bearings will last for years. However, if a bearing is used without grease it will wear quickly and will probably rust as well. And if a bearing is a bit loose but continues to be used, all the weight and forces are placed on only one or two balls instead of shared equally among all of them. At best this causes rapid wear and at worst can cause almost instant damage.
It is almost always cheaper to fix a bearing problem early than to leave it until later. If spotted in time, a wheel bearing rebuild costs £12, and if all it needs is a little adjustment it will be even cheaper. But if the bearing surfaces of the wheel itself are damaged from continued use with dry or loose bearings, often the only option is to replace the whole wheel for anything between £50 and £150. The same is true for headsets, bottom brackets and most other ball bearings. Now is the time to check!
Stand beside your bike, grab one of the tyres at a point where it passes through the frame or fork and pull it a little towards you, as if you were trying to pull the bike sideways. Then push the tyre in the opposite direction. Repeat this back-and-forth motion a few times in quick succession. Then check the other wheel in the same way. Is there a little click or rattle? Does either wheel feel a little loose? If so, you probably have loose wheel bearings.
Now take one of the cranks (the arm that connects the pedal to the rest of the bike) and pull it towards you as though you were trying to pull the bike sideways, and then push it away in the opposite direction. Repeat several times in quick succession. Does it rattle or feel loose? If so, you probably have loose bottom bracket bearings.
Stand over the bike, apply the front (right-hand) brake, and push the handlebars back and forth several times. Can you feel a rattle or looseness? If so, you probably have loose headset bearings.
If you have discovered any loose bearings, or if in any doubt, please consult a mechanic soon. Loose bearings do not normally make the bike unsafe to ride, but in terms of cost: a stitch in time saves nine!