Diagnose → fix → ride
The noises that make people book a service are usually a loose bolt, a dry chain or a cable that has stretched a millimetre. This site is a plain record of what actually goes wrong on ordinary bikes and what to do about it — including when to stop and pay someone.
home jobdoableshop job
| What you hear or feel | Usual cause | First thing to try | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clicking once per pedal stroke | Loose pedal, dry bottom-bracket bearing, or a crank bolt backing off | Check crank bolts first — 30 seconds with an 8mm hex | home job |
| Chain slips under hard pedalling | Worn chain, worn cassette, or cable stretch after a new fit | Measure chain wear before replacing anything else | doable |
| Brakes squeal but still stop | Glazed pads, rim contamination, or slightly misaligned calliper | Deglaze pads with fine sandpaper, clean rim with alcohol | home job |
| Brakes feel spongy | Air in a hydraulic line, or frayed cable in a mechanical system | Hydraulics need a bleed — this is the one to hand over if unsure | shop job |
| Wheel rubs once per rotation | Buckled rim or a loose spoke | Spin the wheel and watch the gap at the brake pad | doable |
| Gears hunt between two sprockets | Cable tension slightly out, or a bent hanger | Quarter-turn on the barrel adjuster, one click at a time | home job |
Elaborate schedules get abandoned by February. This one survives.