A chain “stretches” through regular use. This does not mean the metal literally stretches, but over time the bushings between the plates of the chain wear down, and the chain becomes a little longer. “Stretch” is the main reason avid cyclists replace their chains, but if your chain is rusty or just plain ol’ grimy, it’s not a bad idea to replace it.

If your wheel has side-to-side play even when the skewer or axle nuts are tight, or after a hub has seen its fair share of use, it is time to overhaul the bearings and adjust the hubs.

- Cone wrenches (usually 13mm for the front and 15mm for the rear)
- Open-ended wrench (usually 17mm)
- Plenty of grease
- Replacement bearings (usually twenty 3/16” bearings for the front, eighteen 1/4 “ bearings for the rear)

Before the advent of plastic-lined cables, it was necessary to regularly use heavy oil or grease to lubricate the cables inside brake and derailleur cable housings. Thanks to plastic-lined cables, this procedure is largely obsolete. There are however a few points on the modern bicycle that can use an occasional oiling. The small section of cable near the rear derailleur and the sharp bends in cantilever brakes are two points on the bicycle that merit some attention to lubrication.

Lift your wheel off the ground and give it a spin. If the wheel wobbles back and forth or up and down, it’s time to true it. Wheels come out of true through regular use. The rim is held at the correct angle to the hub by the pull of the spokes in equal directions. Hopping curbs, hitting rocks and the general punishment a bicycle endures is enough to knock a wheel out of true.

The Schrader valve is the type you will find on an automobile. Schrader valves are still used in some bicycle applications, but have become less popular because their size requires the drilling of a larger hole which significantly weakens narrow rims. The spring mechanism that keeps air inside a Schrader valve is also problematic for riders using compact pumps. A Presta valve can be identified by its smaller diameter and the locknut that is permanently attached to the tip of the valve.

A threaded headset gets its name from the threaded steerer tube at the top of a fork. The steerer tube is attached to the inside head tube on a frame with an adjustable race. A threaded headset can be identified easily by the quill-type stem that fits inside the steerer tube. This article will discuss repairs and adjustments of a threaded headset.