How to Assemble a Mountain Bike - Brakes, Front and Rear Gears (derailleurs)

This hub belongs to a series of hubs about How to Assemble a Mountain Bike.

After assembling the handlebar and all the commands it is now time to connect the brakes and the dérailleurs.

Both equipments are very important as they allow you to ride faster and stop faster as well.

A good pair of brakes will give you much confidence while riding specially when you need to descend any down hill trail.

When you need to ride up hill I am sure you will be thankful for having a good range of gears to help you climb even the most difficult hills.

The number of gears you will need depends on the kind of trails you want to ride. If there is lots of hills around your place you will need more gears in order to simplify the uphill task.

A disc brake (or rotor) consists of a metal disc attached to the wheel hub that rotates with the wheel. Calipers are attached to the frame or fork along with pads that squeeze together on the disc. As the pads drag against the disc, the wheel - and thus the bicycle - is slowed.

The disks are usually connected to the wheel hub by several bolts. The most common system is the International Standard (IS) consisting on a six-bolt mount which assures a proper brake function and safety.

Make sure you tighten all the bolts with the recommended torque to avoid any malfunction or even an accident.

The calipers are also bolted but this time to the frame (rear brake) or fork (front brake).

You should only assemble the front dérailleur after adjusting the rear one.

The rear dérailleur it is normally fastened directly to the frame or to a dropout (dérailleur hanger).

It is important to have the wheel and sprocket in place to adjust the rear dérailleur.

The following videos will help you throughout the rest of the process.

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• Derailer Adjustment

  sheldonbrown.com - How to adjust the dérailleurs on your bicycle.

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Chapter 1 - Assembling the Headset and Suspension Fork;

Chapter 2 - Assembling the Bottom Bracket and Crankset;

Chapter 3 - Assembling the Handlebar and all the Commands;

Chapter 4 - Assembling the Brakes, Front and Rear Gears;

Chapter 5 - Assembling the Seat post and Saddle (soon);

Chapter 6 - Assembling the Wheels and Tires (soon).