jomurphy
New Member
- Region
- Europe
Hi all!
Sorry, I'm sure rear wheel removals in general have been covered and nauseum elsewhere, but as I'm new to this and don't want to screw it up I wanted to check with other Engine Pro owners if there is anything specific that I need to be mindful of.
I have the bike upside down and I have loosened the axle nuts, but as I am only learning about all of this stuff, I find myself asking a lot of questions and fearing that I will break something if I don't know the answers to these questions. I have a visual impairment which complicates matters and makes me feel extra wary about doing this on my own.
1.For one thing, the black axle nut cap on the power cable side - can that be fully removed, as in pulled down along the cable? Because it looks to me like the sheath for the cable is too thick to slide into the hole on the cap, and the hole is at an awkward angle to the cable, it's in the side, and I don't want to damage the power cable, so.... do I pull that cap down onto the cable past the point where the cable sheath starts? Or do I leave it only pulled as far as where the cable goes from being sort of exposed to where the sheath begins? If the latter, is it unsafe to fully unscrew the axle nut?
2. I'm visually impaired which is why I have to be extra careful. It sort of looks like there is a possible torque arm, a silver component with a hex bolt located to the front and slightly above (if the bike is upright) the axle nut, on the power cable side, which may be partially occluding the vertical drop out on that side - is that the case? Do I have to loosen the hex nut securing that component to the frame so that I can rotate it before I can pull the axle out? If so, the derailleur/derailleur hanger is secured onto that component, how does that affect wheel removal? How does it affect derailleur alignment after replacement of the wheel? Or am I mistaken, and I don't have to touch that component and I can actually pull the wheel out of the VDO by simply loosening/removing the axle nuts?
3. This is not entirely Engine Pro specific but with my visual impairment I cannot see the brake pads within the hydraulic disc brake caliper and I am concerned about damaging them or the caliper during removal or replacement - just how delicate are these components? When reinstalling the wheel, if I just gently slide the rotor back into the caliper, will that be safe enough? Do I absolutely have to be able to see the brake pads to prevent contact? What if I have the caliper bolts loosened to allow for some horizontal sway, and gently slide the rotor in, then after the bike is upright again, I squeeze the brake lever, re-tighten the caliper bolts.... Will that be good enough to ensure alignment and prevent component damage?
4. What about the derailleur/derailleur hanger and chain - do I have to worry about that during wheel removal? Or can I just pull the axle up the VDOs, with the chain on the smallest cog, and as I pull it up and to the side the cassette will just slide off the chain and away from the derailleur?
5. How much force should it take to pull the axle up out of the VDO and to push it back in? I don't want to exert too much force and damage anything.
I know this must seem like a lot of hand holding but I just don't want to do something stupid by rushing in. This bike is my only means of getting around.
I really appreciate your help!
Sorry, I'm sure rear wheel removals in general have been covered and nauseum elsewhere, but as I'm new to this and don't want to screw it up I wanted to check with other Engine Pro owners if there is anything specific that I need to be mindful of.
I have the bike upside down and I have loosened the axle nuts, but as I am only learning about all of this stuff, I find myself asking a lot of questions and fearing that I will break something if I don't know the answers to these questions. I have a visual impairment which complicates matters and makes me feel extra wary about doing this on my own.
1.For one thing, the black axle nut cap on the power cable side - can that be fully removed, as in pulled down along the cable? Because it looks to me like the sheath for the cable is too thick to slide into the hole on the cap, and the hole is at an awkward angle to the cable, it's in the side, and I don't want to damage the power cable, so.... do I pull that cap down onto the cable past the point where the cable sheath starts? Or do I leave it only pulled as far as where the cable goes from being sort of exposed to where the sheath begins? If the latter, is it unsafe to fully unscrew the axle nut?
2. I'm visually impaired which is why I have to be extra careful. It sort of looks like there is a possible torque arm, a silver component with a hex bolt located to the front and slightly above (if the bike is upright) the axle nut, on the power cable side, which may be partially occluding the vertical drop out on that side - is that the case? Do I have to loosen the hex nut securing that component to the frame so that I can rotate it before I can pull the axle out? If so, the derailleur/derailleur hanger is secured onto that component, how does that affect wheel removal? How does it affect derailleur alignment after replacement of the wheel? Or am I mistaken, and I don't have to touch that component and I can actually pull the wheel out of the VDO by simply loosening/removing the axle nuts?
3. This is not entirely Engine Pro specific but with my visual impairment I cannot see the brake pads within the hydraulic disc brake caliper and I am concerned about damaging them or the caliper during removal or replacement - just how delicate are these components? When reinstalling the wheel, if I just gently slide the rotor back into the caliper, will that be safe enough? Do I absolutely have to be able to see the brake pads to prevent contact? What if I have the caliper bolts loosened to allow for some horizontal sway, and gently slide the rotor in, then after the bike is upright again, I squeeze the brake lever, re-tighten the caliper bolts.... Will that be good enough to ensure alignment and prevent component damage?
4. What about the derailleur/derailleur hanger and chain - do I have to worry about that during wheel removal? Or can I just pull the axle up the VDOs, with the chain on the smallest cog, and as I pull it up and to the side the cassette will just slide off the chain and away from the derailleur?
5. How much force should it take to pull the axle up out of the VDO and to push it back in? I don't want to exert too much force and damage anything.
I know this must seem like a lot of hand holding but I just don't want to do something stupid by rushing in. This bike is my only means of getting around.
I really appreciate your help!
