Bicycle Repair Tune Up Check List
Eddie's Level 1 Tune Up
As you will see below, our rigorous 106 pt. Level One Tune-up Checklist is very thorough. You can rest assured, your bicycle will get all the attention and love it needs and deserves. Level 1 Tune Ups generally take us at least 24 hrs to complete; although exceptions can be made in some extreme cases. Our tune ups do not include installation fees on new parts, or the cost of the new parts. Tune ups also do not include overhauls on hubs, headsets, or bottom brackets. Installations and overhauls are additional. Nor do they include suspension fork work, or hydraulic disc brake bleeds; those services can be performed, but are additional. Feel free to call us with any questions or concerns.
We guarantee our work.
If you are not happy with our work for whatever reason, we'll bend over backwards to make it right, at no extra charge to you! We encourage our customers to communicate to us, happy or unhappy, we want to know about it. We like hearing good things, but we also love opportunities to improve ourselves and our service. So, if you're unhappy, let us know, so we can fix it. We are mechanics so we kind of like fixing things...
EXISTING CONDITIONS
•Derailleurs operated and performance evaluated.
•Brakes operated and performance evaluated.
•Stem height marked or recorded.
•Control-lever positions recorded.
•Seat height recorded.
DIS-ASSEMBLY, CLEANING, AND INSPECTION•Wheels removed.
•Tires inspected for damage and wear.
•Freewheel removed.
•Freewheel or cassette inspected for wear and damage.
•Rim braking surfaces cleaned.
•Rims inspected for damage.
•Pedals inspected for worn and damaged parts.
•Crank arms removed and inspected.
•Chain rings inspected for wear.
•Chain inspected for wear and damage.
•Brake cables inspected for rust, frays, and kinks in the inner wire and housing.
•Brake levers inspected for damage.
•Brake caliper inspected for damage.
•Brake pads checked for wear.
•Derailleur cables inspected for rust, frays, and kinks in the inner wires and housing.
•Rear derailleur inspected for damage and worn pulleys.
•Front derailleur inspected.
•Stem removed from fork.
•Handlebars and stem inspected for damage.
•Grips loaded tested-Use hairspray when necessary
•Fork inspected for damage.
•Frame checked for damage and cracks.
FRAME PREP, ASSEMBLY, AND BEARING ADJUSTMENT
•Brake-caliper threads, pivots, and springs lubricated.
•Adjustable brake pivots adjusted for no play or binding.
•Brake-pivot nuts and/or bolts checked for security.
•Rear derailleur threads, pivots, and springs lubricated.
•Rear-derailleur pulley wheels lubricated.
•Seat-post retention mechanism secured.
•Seat checked for proper alignment and security (non-integral clamp 130in-lbs, single-bolt-integral clamp 120in-lbs, double-bolt-integral clamp 85in-lbs).
•Fork dropouts aligned (as materials allow).
•Rear swing-arm/linkage pivots secured.
•Rear dropouts aligned (as materials allow).
•Rims trued laterally to .5mm tolerance or better.
•Wheels stressed until true is stabilized.
•Hubs adjusted to have no free play secured in bike, but with freeplay when QR is loosened 45°.
•All hub locknuts secured to 120in-lbs.
•Freewheel lubricated and installed (cassette lockring secured to 355in-lbs).
•Tires inflated and inspected for proper seating.
•Bottom-bracket fixed cup (or cartridge) secured to 300/500in-lbs respectively.
•Bottom-bracket adjusted to minimal drag and no free play, and lockring (or cartridge-retaining ring) secured to 300/500in-lbs respectively.
•Chain ring bolts secured to 50in-lbs.
•Crank-arm bolts greased and arms secured to 390in-lbs.
•Threaded dustcaps lubed and gently secured.
OR One-key-release washers greased, cap threads prepped with Loctite 242, and caps gently secured.
•Pedal bearings adjusted to minimal drag and no free play.
•Pedals secured to 300in-lbs.
•Quill-stem shaft, wedge, and bolt greased, then installed to original depth of insertion (or minimum insert mark, whichever is lower), aligned perpendicular to fork, and secured to 170in-lbs (steel bolts only). OR Threadless-stem bolts greased and stem aligned perpendicular to fork.
•Headset adjusted to loosest setting with no free play.
•Threaded-headset locknut secured to 300in-lbs
OR Threadless-stem-binder bolts secured to 50in-lbs (double bolts) or 120in-lbs (single bolt).
•Handlebars inspected for damage.
•Handlebar-binder bolts secured (8mm bolts: 180in-lbs, 7mm bolts: 155in-lbs, 6mm bolts 120in-lbs, side-by-side binder bolts: 60in-lbs each).
•Handlebar add-ons secured.
•Brake-pivot studs (if any) greased, Loctite 242 applied to mounting threads (except nylock nuts or bolts), & calipers mounted (70in-lbs for sidepulls, 25in-lbs for others).
•Brake levers set to original alignment (unless unacceptable) and secured (cast clamp: 35in-lbs, strap clamp: 60in-lbs).
•Brake-lever pivots, cable-anchor pivots and cable adjusters lubricated.
•New or existing brake housings sized. (Lever to frame piece: as short as possible to allow full normal fork rotation. All others: as short as possible without abrupt bends at ends, or interference with caliper motion.)
•Brake-housing ends finished with end caps, wherever end caps fit (parts addtl.).
•Wheels mounted in proper alignment and security (front axle nuts 180in-lbs, rear axle nuts 240in-lbs.
OR Q.R. skewers set so force is required through out the last 90° of closure and base of lever ends up parallel to dropout.
•Derailleur hanger aligned to less than 4mm tool-to-rim gap at all points.
•Rear derailleur installed and secured to 70in-lbs.
•Front-derailleur pivots lubricated.
•Front derailleur set so bottom of outer cage plate clears outer chainring teeth by 1-3mm.
•Front derailleur rotated so outer cage plate is parallel to line of chain in outermost gear combination.
•Front derailleur secured to 35in-lbs.
BRAKE AND DERAILLEUR ADJUSTMENTS
•Brake-pad height set so top edge of pad is even with top edge of rim’s braking surface (except U-brake and outer-pivot arm of dual pivot: set so bottom edge of pad is even with bottom edge of rim’s braking surface).
•Brake pads set tangent (parallel) to rim.
•Brake-pad toe set to .5-1.5mm if needed to reduce squeal.
•Brake cables lubricated where they pass through housing.
•Brake cables routed correctly (no interference with other cables, or unnecessary bends) and cable-pinch mechanisms secured to 50in-lbs.
•Cantilevers only: Straddle-wire cable carrier set to clear tire by 35-45mm
OR Link-unit set so alignment line on link-unit head points to bottom end of link wire (±10mm).
•Brake-cable system stress tested by pulling brake lever firmly a minimum of ten times.
•Brake-pad clearance set to 1-2mm per side (looser if cable release is difficult, or tighter if lever clears grip/bar by less then 25mm when pads first contact rim).
•Brake pads centered to less than .5mm difference.
•Brake cables trimmed and capped.
•Rim braking surfaces cleaned of lubricants.
•New or existing derailleur housings sized and ends finished with end cap. (From controls to frame: sized as short as possible to allow full normal fork rotation. To rear derailleur: sized such that with derailleur body parallel to chain stay, housing enters adjusting barrel in a straight line.)
•New or existing derailleur cables lubricated where they pass through housings.
•Derailleur cables routed so they do not interfere with any other cables, and pinch mechanisms secured to 35in-lbs.
•Derailleur cables pre-stressed.
•Wobbling chain wheels aligned to less than .5mm wobble.
•Chain lubricated, sized to longest acceptable length in small/small gear combination.
•Chain inspected for tight links, protruding rivets, and too-short symptoms in big/big gear combination.
•Rear-derailleur limit screws set to tightest settings that allow shift to largest and smallest sprockets (with no excess noise).
•Rear-derailleur cable tension set to tightest setting that allows indexing without out-shift hesitation or post-shift chain-to-cog rubs.
•Front-derailleur outer-limit screw set to hold .5-1.0mm clearance between the chain and outer cage (with chain on outer/outer gear combination).
•Front-derailleur outer-limit screw set to hold .5-4.0mm clearance between the chain and inner cage (with chain on inner/inner gear combination).
•Front-derailleur over-shift checked in all gear combinations.
•Front-derailleur cable tension set to create .0-.5mm clearance between inner cage and chain (chain on innermost rear cog and next-to-outermost chain ring), with no audible rubs in any gear combination.
•Accessories checked for mounting security and interference with moving parts or safety hazards.
TEST RIDE AND INSPECTIONS
•Handlebar and add-ons load-tested (30lb side load and 150lbs down load - tested at furthest point from headset).
•Handlebar grips load tested a second time
•Seat nose load tested (50lbs side load and 75lbs down load).
•Brakes checked for stopping power and squeal.
•Bicycle checked for tracking problems.
•Derailleurs checked for performance and over shift.
•Chain and freewheel cogs checked for skipping under load.
•Bicycle checked for unusual noises.