mountain bikes and Trainers

[velogirl]

The most important step to removing the rear wheel is to shift your rear derailleur into the smallest cog. This lines the derailleur up furthest away from the bike and allows you to just pop out the wheel.

It's easier to understand when you can see and follow along, but here's the skinny. You should not have to touch the chain at all. Nope. Not at all.

1. With your right hand (unless you're in the UK), shift with the small lever into the smallest cog.
2. Stand on the non-drive side of the bike, facing backwards, with your saddle resting on the side of your hip.
3. Release the quick release on the rear brake (Shimano push up the lever on the brake caliper; Campy release the button on the right shift lever).
4. Open the quick release skewer on the rear wheel (you don't need to remove the skewer, just loosen it).
5. With your left hand, hold the nose of saddle.
6. With your right hand, hold the wheel.
7. Simultaneously, lift up with the saddle and push down with the wheel.
8. Dance the cassette out of the chain (see this is easier to do than write) and remove the wheel from the bike.

Voila!

Reverse the process to put the wheel back in. The most important concept is that you want to aim the chain onto the small cog (or the 2nd smallest cog). Then just push down and the wheel will fall into the drop-outs.

Practice this ten times and you'll have it for life.

[ColleenT]

my rear wheel is NOT a Quick release

[velogirl]

my rear wheel is NOT a Quick release

Wow! Then you'll need a wrench and some elbow grease. Have you checked to make sure your bike will fit in the trainer? Some of the non QR-skewers are too wide to fit. Maybe your LBS can hook you up with a QR for your bike?

[ColleenT]

it fits in the trainer just fine. no problem. i just think that changing a rear tire will be a b*tch. well, at least until i learn how to do it properly..

[Pebble]

Not having QR levers on the back wheel shouldn't make that much difference - it just means you need a spanner (wrench?) to undo the bolts instead - you don't need to take the bolts off completely.

Taking it off will be the easy part (like previously posted by velogirl) & putting it back on may be a fraction harder - untill you figure out how it sits in the detailleur thingy (probably the most daunting bit for you I guess).

When you put it back on it's just a matter of making sure you do the bolts back up evenly - hand tight & then take turns on either side untill they're tight enough. (basically saying don't tighten one side with all your might before doing the other side).

If you have a good bike shop to show you then that would be a good way to do it. Probably best that you do it yourself under their instruction - it's best way to learn. Otherwise if you can have a go yourself with someone on hand if you really get bamboozled then that wouldn't be a bad option either.

I remember trying to get a set of pedals off my bike (now I had done this before but it just wasn't budging) anyway a quck post on the forum asking which way I should be turning it to loosen and problem solved!