CYCLE MAINTENANCE

I replaced the chain the other day as it had worn out and was making a noise. That was simple enough, however, the new chain highlighted wear on the rear cassette (that's the gears on the top left of the picture) so I replaced the cassette. Unfortunately, I then discovered that the chainset (the bits lying at the bottom of the picture) was worn out as well. So today I took it apart. Unfortunately the threads on the crank stripped out as I attempted to remove it so I resorted to a hammer and steel bar but that only resulted in me breaking the crank. Aarrhh! I took a break and phoned my mate, George. He suggested trying some heat on the crank so, out with the blow torch. After extinguishing the flames from the oil that caught alight, I eventually managed to get it off. Having got this far, I decided to replace the bottom bracket as well. After a trip to Halfords, I managed to get the new bits fitted, gears adjusted and all is well at long last, phew!

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