Road bike repair made easy: Tips for mechanics from Pauline Ferrand-Prevot
In this article, we use so-called affiliate links. With every purchase through these links, we receive a commission from the merchant. All relevant referral links are marked with . Learn more.
Road bike repair with the world champion: Pauline Ferrand-Prevot has already achieved something historic in cycling: In 2015, she became the first woman to be world champion in cyclocross, road racing and mountain biking at the same time.
Click through: All road world champions since 2006
Another historic quadruple followed in 2022. Ferrand-Prevot first of all took the world title at the mountain bike world championships in Les Gets. the titles in short track, cross country and also in the marathonbefore she also became UCI Gravel World Champion in October. Shortly afterwards she signed a contract with the British team Ineos Grenadiers. Here she gives the most important tips for road bike repair.
ADJUST PEDAL HARDNESS
Often frightens beginners: riding with clipless pedals, through which the shoe is relatively firmly connected to the pedalling surface. However, with the right Allen key, many pedals can be loosened and tightened. Setting the trigger hardness. The direction of rotation is usually indicated: "+" means harder, "-" means softer. On some models, a scale on the back shows how hard the pedal is set.
ROAD BIKE REPAIR: ADJUSTING THE GEARS
Are the gears no longer shifting smoothly? This is often easy to fix. Turning the adjustment screw clockwise (looking at the rear derailleur from behind), this means less tension in the cable and the chain drops. If you turn it the other way round, the chain climbs more easily onto the larger sprocket. Approach carefully with quarter turns!
ROAD BIKE REPAIR: ADJUSTING THE BRAKES | CHANGING THE BRAKE PADS
Many brakes are easy to adjust - an easy road bike repair. Because the brake pads wear out with use, you need to adjust the brake pads. Distance between rubber and rim reduce it again from time to time - to a maximum of two millimetres. To do this, turn the screw on the brake cable anti-clockwise.
If the brake pads are worn down to the wear limit (marked on most pads), you need to replace them. Replace rubbersOpen the brake, remove the wheel (see below); unscrew the fixing screw far enough and pull out the used brake pad to the rear.
The new rubber into the socket. The pads are the same for the rear and front brakes, but different for the right and left. Note the labelling! Then tighten the fixing screw and close the brake again. Check the distances to the rim and this road bike repair is finished.
FLAT TYRE: CHANGE TYRE OR TUBE
1. the next road bike repair: The tyre is worn or losing air because stones or shards are stuck in the rubber? Then it's time for a tyre or inner tube change. First step: The Release brakeso that you can remove the wheel. With Shimano and SRAM you turn the release lever upwards (see picture). With Campagnolo there is a pin
in the brake/shift lever to release the brake.
2. a strong Pulling the lever opens the quick releasethe wheel is loose. On the front wheel, you usually have to turn the lever anti-clockwise a few more times before the wheel can fall out. Important: When fitting, close the lever so that you can just manage to close it and it is tight against the frame. Otherwise you will have to turn the lever clockwise to increase the tension.
3. the wheel is removed during this road bike repair by pushing it downwards and slightly forwards. A light tap on the tyre from above can help. Then use the Thumb on the bar on the switch cageto thread the wheel well out of the chain guide.
4. with Tyre levers Remove the tyre from the rim. Lifters that can be hooked into the spokes (as shown in the picture) are helpful. Push the first one with the narrow side between the rim edge and the tyre, press it outwards and use it to lever the tyre over the rim edge.
5. the first tyre lever remains hooked in, the second is placed a hand's breadth away. Then pull the tyre lever once around the entire rimso that one side of the tyre slips completely out of the rim. If one side of the tyre is loose, it can be easily removed completely from the rim.
6. if the tyre is not damaged, it is usually sufficient in the event of a flat tyre to Replace hose. To do this, push the tyre to the side at the valve hole and pull out the inner tube. Then insert a new inner tube, inflate it slightly and push it under the tyre into the rim well.
7. then press the If possible, push the tyre back into the rim well by hand. Tyre levers can damage the inner tube. If the tyre is seated correctly, you can push it over the edge of the rim with a lot of thumb pressure over the last few centimetres. Inflate the tyre and this road bike repair is done!
EMERGENCY KIT FOR ROAD BIKE REPAIR
You should always have this small kit with you in your jersey pocket or saddle bag for a road bike repair: at least one Spare tube (note suitable valve length!), one for high pressure Suitable mini pump, two tyre levers and a Minitool with the most important key figures.
