Taking the back skewer off for the trainer??

Cassette is firmly attached to the wheel, rear deraileur is likewise attached to the frame. You can't "mess up" either by simply removing the skewer and/or the entire wheel. Have you not changed a flat on  the rear wheel?

What Bear said and I will add- The only way to figure these things out is to do them. Pull the skewer and you'll see that its very UN-complicated...

Eric J

Not sure what type of wheels or skewer you've got, but they're all pretty similar. Let's assume standard like Shimano. Look at this. You're essentaily trying to leave 10 and parts attached to it and remove 1,2 and the #3 springs.
http://techdocs.shimano.com/media/techdocs/content/cycle/EV/bikecom...

This isn't hard: You can do this one!

1.) Leave the bike supported on the ground; less chance to undo the works. This can be done in the air, but for simplicity, we'll try here.

2.) Shift into the smallest cog / hardest gear in case we need to remove the wheel anyway (we shouldn't)

3.) You know how to open the QR lever, right? Simply, with good pressure, swing the arm over to release the pressure on the frame.

4.) Twist the nut all the way off on the derailleur side. The wheel should remain in the frame. Remove the QR, the little spring from the derailler side and put those parts aside in the opposite order you took them off. You'll need to get it right when it goes back on.

5.) Remove the nut and 1 spring from your trainer QR.

6.) If you have some Phil Woods or bike grease, lube up the skewer. You can use white lithium grease if you want. No WD40, 3 in 1 oil, stuff like that. Invest $5 in a tube of Phil Woods; it's really helpful for this and other simple fixes.

7.) Slide the QR into the hole in the axel from the non-drive side with the lever on that side. Put the spring on the protruding end on the drive side, then spin on the nut.

8.) Tighten that nut and close the lever until you get a strong closing pressure. One which holds the wheel tightly. Be sure the wheel is all the way in the drops and spins correctly.

If the wheel comes out, you're not screwed. It's a bit disconcerting, but again, you can do this.

1.) OK, either turn the bike upside down on the seat and bars or support it like in a workstand.

2.) Pull the wheel away from the frame until the cassette clears the frame. You should be able to pull the chain off of the casette liberating the wheel.

3.) Change the QR like above.

4.) To put the wheel back, lay the chain on the cassette from where it enters the derailleur. Put it on an outer, small cog, either the 11,12 or 13 tooth one. Look at a picture or another bike to see how it goes. You'll get it.

5.) Slide the wheel up and back into the drops and close the QR like above. This can be tricky depending on frame design. Specialized has always given me fits.

Good luck; this isn't hard. You should try so you can change a rear flat when you need to. Or work your mojo and flirt with the French guy at the LBS; your choice

I haven't had a flat at all yet, much less on the back wheel. Blah, blah, blah, I don't ride enough, blah, blah, blah. I've only had the bike since May, anyway, I keep the tires properly inflated, and I pretty much only ride on paved trails right now, so less of a chance of hittiing broken glass, etc that you might find on the road.

For reference in case you do completely remove the rear wheel, here's a picture of how the chain needs to go. Over the top of the cassette, around the back and enters the front of the top derailleur sprocket. You'll see if you get here.

Edited by pitt83 2007-09-12 8:24 AM






Attachments
----------------
Rear_Dropout.jpg (66KB - 15 downloads)

Okay, that was a bit low, don't you think? That bike course was REALLY freakin' hilly, steep and angled, even the better cyclists I was with said it was tough, and considering that I've only been biking since May, there is no way I could have gotten good and strong enough, even if I biked every single day, to have been super-fast on those hills.
Besides, I'm not out to win these things. In theory, I do know how to change a flat and I have the tools, I've just not had to do it yet.

Edited by wurkit_gurl 2007-09-12 8:48 AM

Besides, that is WHY I got the trainer, so over the winter months, when daylight limits me to riding on weekends, I can ride more.

In theory, you should practice it as well. Stranded is not a planned destination.

Actually, IMO, you should change your tire for the trainer. The trainer will burn up your nice new rubber from the friction it generates. I put on an old garbage tire for my trainer wheel and you can feel and smell it cooking back there. So, you should likely change your tire anyway and, as other say, stranded isn't a destination.

My LBS offers free "How to get home" sessions on simple road side fixes. Check into it and get comfortable with your bike and how it operates before it's critical. Like on a cold rainy day when your friends having bagged the group ride.

I agree. I don't know what the trails are like around where your from, but here they are long (30+ miles one way), and travel through the 'middle of nowhere'! If I flatted on that trail, especially in the early morning or evening; no one would be around for miles. No cell phone reception either.

So, the point is: learning to fix a flat is vital. It could save you a ten mile, bike-in-toe walk; or it could save your race on race day!

Here is a BT video on how to change a flat.

Sounds like you are getting a lot of grief here from BT on this question. Not sure why but I hope there was some sarcasm in some of the replies.

Your question was a good one for someone starting out with a trainer. Hopefully you got the info you needed. There were a few posts in the thread that actually seemed helpful without being overly rude.

Most people here are great, as you know.

It is always a good idea to take a class at the LBS for the "changing a tire" etc stuff if you can but, to me, some posters seemed a little harsh.

Glad to hear you are using the trainer, aren't they fun

Thank you Wurkit girl for starting this thread, I was planning on using my turbo last night and as my boyfriend / bike mechanic is off to afganistan for 6months on saturday I need to know how to set it up by myself.

I was a little uncertain but then read the advice from Pitt83 which really helped and it was actually quite easy, also boyf was on hand to make sure I did it right this time around.

Thank you Pitt83, your concise simple instructions make a load more sense than the gobbledgook in the manual! And thank you to other contributors as well. I had a great workout and will hopefully manage to do it just as easily next time
best wishes
Jess



Edited by jessicadawn 2007-09-13 2:54 AM

I get a lot of grief on BT from most questions

Edited by wurkit_gurl 2007-09-13 6:28 AM

Sure, np! Yes, Pitt83, thanks for the tips! It was actually really, really easy just to pull the original skewer out and put the other on in. I don't have a workstand so I just flipped the bike upside down and rested it on the handlebars and seat.

Welcome all. It's actually difficlut to break down a task you do everyday and write it out stepwise. I have to remove my wheels on days when I ride on my lunch break and store the bike in the back of my SUV since I can't fit in the parking garage when it's on the roof.

One ponit I tried to make which may have gotten buried: You're going to smoke the rear tire over the course of the winter. The trainer friction will remove a fine layer of tire every day making a flat spot in the tire. See if you can get a worn-out tire from a roady friend and swap for that. Makes swapping road / trainer much more difficult, but it saves your $75+ race tires. I have a dedicated wheel for the trainer, but I'm a gear w#ore, so.........

Yup - planning to get a tire for the trainer - The Bear sent me a link to ones specifically for trainers and they were on sale.

Prayers for your SO and you while he's overseas.