Building your own bike can seem like a daunting task to anyone. Beginners to the sport, long time riders, racers…almost everyone has some hangup about building a bike. When you break it down into easily digestible bites, building a bike is nothing more than a series of simple part installations. From a simple derailleur install to complex drivetrain tuning, this series of video blogs will detail the process of building a bike (in this case my BMC ProMachine SLC01 race bike for this season) from a bare frame into a functioning ride.
If you're following this series in order, we've installed our bottom bracket and crankset and mounted our front derailleur so far. In this post, my video blog will detail the installation of the rear derailleur onto the derailleur hanger. After watching the video, check below to see a few of my tips and tricks, and remember to post any questions to the Tailwind Coaching Facebook Page.
Tips, tricks and things to keep in mind while building:
- Get all your tools and parts together and laid out before you start building. There's nothing worse than getting half way through installing a part and realizing you can't find XYZ tool.
- As mentioned in the video, the little plastic “B screw” tab must ride behind/on top of the derailleur hanger, otherwise you won't be able to adjust the B tension.
- Be sure to grease the derailleur mounting bolt and hanger threads to prevent them from binding together.
- Don't worry about limit screws or B tension yet; we'll get to those parts when we tune the drivetrain.
- Don't overtighten! Overtightening parts, especially carbon parts, can cause irreparable damage. Use a torque wrench if you're unsure.
If you have questions about installing your rear derailleur, post them to the Tailwind Coaching Facebook Page. Once you've got your crank installed and front and rear derailleur bolted on, most of your drivetrain is ready to go. Finish up the build by checking out the rest of my “Building Your Own Bike” series on Vimeo< or click on the following links:
Building Your Own Bike – Crankset Installation
Building Your Own Bike – Front Derailleur Installation
Building Your Own Bike – Handlebar Installation (Coming Soon)
Building Your Own Bike – Shifter Installation (Coming Soon)
Building Your Own Bike – Brake Installation (Coming Soon)
Building Your Own Bike – Cable and Housing Installation (Coming Soon)
Building Your Own Bike – Tuning Shifting (Coming Soon)
Building Your Own Bike – Bar Tape and Finishing (Coming Soon)
