Chains are where you can get a lot of grit and just plain dirtiness accumulating so it’s something you should clean and maintain on a regular basis. If you need to install a chain, remember to get one that is compatible with your system because the larger the number of sprockets you have on your bike, the thinner the chain you will need. A thin chain for a 10-sprocket bike can theoretically be used on sprockets designed for wider chains.

The inverse is not true. You cannot use a chain from a single-speed bike (wider sprocket) on a 10-speed (thinner and multiple sprockets).

When you want to overhaul your threaded headset, remove the handlebar stem and use a wrench for the locknut. Remove the spacers and the top race. Check the races for pitting. Remove fork and bearings. The bearings are normally in casings. Check these for pitting too (though because they are cheap, you could just as well buy new ones). Clean everything. 

Once you've checked what is still usable (hopefully everything), turn the fork over and start with the bottom first. Put in grease, your bearings and then the fork. Secure the fork to the frame and flip the bike over, right side up.

Repeat with the top. Grease everything: locknut, bearings, anything that has a thread. Put your spacers on, followed by the locknut. Wipe off any excess grease that may still be on the bike.

Wrench the locknut tight and then test out your fork. If it doesn't turn smoothly, you'll have to see where you went wrong with previous steps.

A headset is basically the piece that holds the fork to the frame of a bike, thereby allowing for steering. A sealed bearing headset normally has a plastic or rubber gasket to protect the insides from dirt.

There are a lot of special tools you can use for the installation. If you don’t want to shell out a grip of change for these tools, which may be a little out of the reach of your wallet, there are cheaper alternatives (a wooden block and a hammer, for instance). Worst comes to worst, you can always ask your local mechanic or read some bike books for tool cheats.

Park Tools makes these:

Fork crown facing tool

Headset facing tool

Headset press

Digital caliper

Hammer

Grease

A headset is basically the piece that holds the fork to the frame of a bike, thereby allowing for steering. A sealed bearing headset normally has a plastic or rubber gasket to protect the insides from dirt.

There are a lot of special tools you can use for the installation. If you don’t want to shell out a grip of change for these tools, which may be a little out of the reach of your wallet, there are cheaper alternatives (a wooden block and a hammer, for instance). Worst comes to worst, you can always ask your local mechanic or read some bike books for tool cheats.

Park Tools makes these:

Fork crown facing tool

Headset facing tool

Headset press

Digital caliper

Hammer

Grease

Your brakes are hardworking pieces of your kit that you need to check on regularly. You may not think it but bits and pieces of gravel can get stuck in your pads, causing scratches on your rims.

For v-brakes, what you need to do is to grip the calipers and unhook the noodle, as you would when you take your tire off. With an allen wrench, remove the brake pads.

What I hate is that very few mechanics know how to properly toe in a brake pad. The theory is that the front edge of the pad should be the edge that touches the rim first. If you don’t do it right, you get that annoying squeal when braking. You also have to line up the pads so that they sit completely on the rim and not slightly off the edge. If it’s too far off towards the spokes, you’ll develop a lip on your brake pad from the wear and may cause the brakes to stick. If it’s too far off towards the tire, there is the possibility of flatting as well as creating a lip.

Installing disc brakes is more often than not, a considerable upgrade for anyone who is serious about their mountain biking. You won’t have to worry about wearing down your rims and about trying to break when it’s wet outside.

That said, back in the day, it would have been real difficult to adapt a v-brake bike into a disc brake because disc brake manufacturers did not make them to be compatible with other systems until the introduction of the Six-Bolt International Standard (I.S. for short) in the mid 1990s. So if your wheels are older than that, buyer beware.

Hydraulic brakes work by applying pressure to a liquid in a tube. They work by means of a piston in the lever which shoots liquid into the caliper piston which causes the brakes to clamp. Because there is no stress caused, hydraulic brakes are considered more efficient and, in turn, more costly. If you ride hard on a regular basis, dirt and moisture can mix with the fluid, reducing the efficiency and so it is recommendable that you bleed your hydraulic disc brakes once a year. You’ll know you need to bleed them when there is no resistance when you grip your brake.

There are two types of fluid used for hydraulic disc brakes: DOT (Department of Transportation) approved automotive fluid and mineral fluid. THEY ARE NOT INTERCHANGEABLE. If you use the wrong fluid for your type of brakes, you will screw them over and your braking will be faulty.

This tool is used to straighten the rotors on a disc brake system. The longer apeture is for heavy duty repairs and the smaller one is for a bit more minor dents.

Adjusting disc brakes is pretty straightforward. What you’ll need is a rubber band and an allen wrench.

Yep. That’s it.

To start, you’ll have to slightly loosen the mount bolts that attach the caliper to the adaptor. Once done, put the rubber band on the brake lever, causing it to close. This will align the caliper over the disc.

This is where you can fiddle around and tighten a tad so that you get the adjustment right. Once you’ve got that, you can take the rubber band off to hear how the wheel spins. If you still need to adjust, fine tune via the mounting bolts. Check and see if the distance between the disc and the both brake pads are even.

Tighten and you’re done!

A tool used to finish a flat surface of the headtube.