Need some help putting a bike together...

toon_mad

toon_mad

toon_mad

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Joined
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hi, got a bike last week, only just got round to fitting it today, so far ive:

fitted the handle bars
fitted the seat
fitted the pedals :p

the job has been hard because the tools provided didnt fit anywhere!

anyway i cant get the front wheel on, it has a front disk brake and all the ball bearings inside the wheel are falling out. Also because the thread that goes through the forks (wheel rests on top and screws in) are so small, i cannot get the bloody nuts to screw in. I have a quick release thing, is this for the wheel or seat??

appreciate any help
 
your wheel has released the ball bearings? so the hub isnt seated and sealed?
Sounds dodgy to me, have you undone the hubs to the wheels then? or did you have to make all of this yourself?

With modern kits you should have 3 quick release clamps, front and rear wheel, and your seat post.

can you get pictures up for me?
i can help much better if i can see what the problem is...
 
i had to undo the hub things on each side of the wheel, i assumed the forks sit ontop and i screw the screw back into the hub things :confused:

Anyway the pics:

Bike 1
001dsn.jpg


Bike 2
002sjc.jpg


Front Wheel Ball Bearings
004bws.jpg


Front Wheel Nut & Bearings
005hxz.jpg


Front Left Fork/Disc Brake Connector Thing
003guk.jpg


Quick Release Part (wheel or seat?!)
006qkp.jpg


Thanks! ;)
 
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ok, youve got yourself into a bit of a mess there.
you have undone the hub... never undo that nut unless you have a busted bearing or need to re grease lol.

right, but the bearings back in, and put the nuts back on... you should have a hole going through the middle of the nut right through to the other side.

undo the quick release clip, and slid the tube through the nut into the wheel... do the quick release up the other side, and tighten until you have just enough to push the arm down for final tightening...
 
What is the make and model of the bike? The suspension linkage looks a bit dodgy at the back, I can't quite figure out how the back wheel will move and how the suspension is actuated.

Anyway, your issues:

Hubs: you should never have to remove the axle, which is what you've done, unless you need to service them (an annual job). To resolve it, you need to put the ball bearings back into each side of the hub, then tighten the cone shaped nut onto the threaded axle until it is finger tight. You'll need two thin spanners because you need to put the locknut onto the axle and tighten that. The next part is the tricky part - you need to tighten the locknut while ensuring that the cone doesn't tighten. If you put the cone too tight, the bearings won't be able to move, and so your wheel won't turn.

Once you've got the axle tightened, it should look like this
WMB88.work.work_pic16_prev-499-100-499-70.jpg


Turn the bike upside down, then slot the wheel into the fork, making sure you get the disc aligned with the brake caliper so it slips in. Once you've done that, take your quick release (in photo 006qkp.jpg) and unscrew the end that doesn't have a handle on it. Remove one of the springs, observing its orientation. Thread the quick release through the forks and the axle from the non-brake side, then put the spring on (wider side outwards) and attach the nut you've just removed. Open the quick release handle, then tighten the nut.

The nut should be loose enough to allow you to close the lever with one hand, yet tight enough to leave an imprint on the palm of your hand when you do it. Once you've done this, turn the bike the right way up, then wiggle the wheel from side to side by putting your hand on the tyre. If there is any lateral movement, you've not tightened up the hub enough.

I would strongly suggest you get a mate who knows about bikes to take a look at the bike again, there is only so much that can be diagnosed from photos and your post and I'd feel a bit guilty if something fell off when you take it out for a ride.

al
 
yeah, is it crap like?? :D only got it off there because its interest free for a year.

anyway, got the bearings and nut thing screwed on. reading from what Alasdair said i need to put the quick release thing in there somewhere.

i think i need to take of the axle nut thing again doh! i think i need the nuts off it to screw the wheel onto the forks.
 
toon_mad said:
it was hard to take off, took me and someone else and 2 spanners. ill put the bearings back and come back up.

bike is here: http://www.littlewoods.com/rf/navig...&product=551874834&seo=t&SNu=pca_id&phsView=G

man i feel like a idiot now :D
Click to expand...

If you paid full whack for that bike, I strongly suggest that you fix the bike back up into its boxed condition then send it back under the Littlewoods 14 day returns policy.

Then find an extra £30 and get one of these instead. The Commencal will do you far longer and will provide a far better ride than the bike you've just bought. If £320 is your upper limit, ditch the disk brakes and get the v-brake version and spend the £70 you've saved on some flash riding gear.

Sorry to sound so harsh, but at the £300 mark there are plenty of bikes out there made by decent bike manufacturers that will give you far more for your money than the bike you've just shown us.

al

EDIT: PS - Merlin do finance too - link
 
toon_mad said:
i think i need the nuts off it to screw the wheel onto the forks.
Click to expand...

No you don't, you should have a small bit of axle protruding on each side (the amount protruding should be even to both sides), and the locknut will sit behind this protrusion, then you've got the cone, then the bearings, and finally the hub itself. If you've not got enough space, there's probably a part in the wrong way round.

If you're taking everything apart, can you line them up left to right, then photo them please? You only ever need to remove the locknut and cone on one side, as this ensures that you have the correct spacing at each side of the hub so the disk lines up correctly with the brake.
 
ok i took the axle nut out again, here is all the washer/nuts etc on it:

View 1
007m.jpg


View 2
008g.jpg


the bike feels like a good quality, im not doing any hardcore racing, maybe 7-20 miles a day to start with, you lot might need 1k + bikes, its been years for me so a mid-priced bike is fine :p having said that, if i cant fit the junk together its going back :D:D
 
OK, if you look at the conical bit second from the left in both views - that's the cone. This should sit flush with the bearings with nothing in between them. There should be a cone on either side.

As it looks like you've not touched the right hand side, you can use that as a template for the left hand side in terms of which spacers fit on which parts.

The 4th part in from the left, is it rubber? If so, remove it now, it's just a dust cover you can replace later on once everything else is back together.

I fully appreciate that you're not willing to spend a grand on a bike, which is fair enough. I just believe you'll get a lot more for your money if you look at a bike shop as opposed to a catalogue. Cheap full suspension bikes ride a lot less efficiently than those without rear suspension, too much of your energy is taken up compressing the suspension which means you won't get as far as on a hardtail.
 
Its not so much i dont mind speding the money for a quality bike, but the fact ive not ridden for almost 5 years now, i think something like this is a stepping block. most here might disagree, but im happy to start again with such a bike, the interest free is jsut a bonus.

anyway, ive got the axle nut thing to look like this now: (is this correct?)

001zyj.jpg


if so how do the forks sit on it, i presume the end nuts screw off, then screw back on to hold the forks? if so the problem is, one of the end nuts doesnt want to come off!
 
Stick it in the box, say it arrived like that and send it back.

Alasdair is right though, £320 is not really cheap for a bike, if your willing to spend that much youd be much better off with something half decent.

You do also realise Tesco sell that exact bike for £50 less with 6 months interest free?

Edit: The quick release pic isn't working, but does it not pass through the axle?
 
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Sorry for the delayed response, but that setup appears to be correct.

Can you run your finger along the axle - the shots appear to suggest there is loads of contamination in the grease. New grease on new products shouldn't be at all dirty or gritty, it's only once you start using it that the grease gets dirty enough to replace. This suggests a poor level of QC during manufacturer, if I had this on any bike part I buy I'd be straight back to the shop demanding a refund. Failing that, it's possible that the bike isn't 100% new, but this is speculation on my part.

Back to the task in hand - fit the axle back in the wheel, using only the LHS as you've loosened it already. You should be able to turn the axle in the hub with the minimum of rubbing of the bearings and the minimum of lateral movement of the axle in the hub. Once you've done that, contact the retailer for a return.

I hope you'll have guessed from my prior posts that I do know what I'm talking about when it comes to bikes. People I know frequently come to me for recommendations as to their first bike, and I almost always recommend spending £300 and buying something from a recognised manufacturer with a pedigree that allows them to filter the designs down from bikes costing well over a grand. A £300 bike from a reputable bike manufacturer can be upgraded progressively and the frame will take it, whereas a poorly designed bike that looks a bit flash will result in you having to replace the whole bike before getting anything better.
 
yeah im thinking its going back too, to me (a untrained eye) it looks fine, but not just one person here says send it back, but many.

ill see what i can do today with it.

cheers all ;)
 
ill go with the rest of them..

send it back

mind you...i just brought a bike for £130...lol

it does me though and im happy with it just for work.

only do 30 miles a week on it.
 
wish i just payed full now for a hardtail now, the tools they gave me didnt even fit, i had to get someone to nick some tools from work.

ah sod this, ive lost over a week already of biking, its killing me :mad:
 
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