- Jockey wheels, or pulley wheels, if you prefer,
have a couple of very important jobs
on your bicycle. First of all, they help move the
derailleur across the cassette,
allowing you to choose your gear,
as well as keeping the chain nice and tensioned.
Sadly, though, they do get worn out,
because, they turn literally 1000's and 1000's
of times, and well, where they're positioned,
they're right in the way of any gunk
which is flying up from the road as you ride along.
So, today, let's look at how to replace them
and when to replace them. (instrumental music)
How do we know, then, when to replace
those little jockey wheels? Well,
firstly, have a look at the teeth.
Now, if they're worn away, then yep, they certainly
need replacing, as well as if they
are sharp like shark's teeth, because,
that means that they're well on their way out,
and the chain could risk not engaging perfectly.
Some jockey wheels, they're all Circum Fitted
with sealed cartridge bearings,
and whilst it can be temporarily revamped,
in the long run, they are going
to need replacing. So, how are you gonna know,
then, if those bearings are on their way out,
or in fact, already gone? Well,
the easiest way, certainly,
to remove the back wheel and then try
and turn those wheels by hand.
If you're meeting a lot of resistance,
personally, I'd go out and buy
some new pulley wheels. Some of the pulley wheels
actually come with bushings, instead of bearings,
and they can be revamped, for quite a long time,
because you can pop them out and you
can re grease them. But, today,
let's look at how we fit the new ones.
So, what are we gonna need for the job, then?
Well, you're gonna need some new pulley wheels
in there, and whilst there are a huge variety
out there, don't go buying the wrong ones. Why?
Well, the chain needs to engage
with them, and still pass through the cage
of the rear derailleur. Now, this one,
for instance, has 11 teeth on the
actual pulley wheels, and if I try
to fit 12 teeth, well it's very unlikely
that chain's gonna work efficiently,
if at all. So, don't go buying the wrong ones.
That's the first tip. Second one, now, you can
get different ones with different bearings,
for instance, and a sealed bearing
is generally gonna spin a little
bit smoother than that with a bushing.
And you can even get ceramic bearings
in there, too, and considering the number
of times those pulleys spin, maybe that's an option
for you, if you're really looking
to set a personal best. Now, not all pulleys
are the same, and in fact, in most of them,
they are even identifiable by the upper
or lower or guide or tension or G or T
and they are specific to each part
of the rear derailleus, that's important
to remember, because, the guide pulley sometimes
has a small amount of lateral float
in it, which takes up any differences
in tolerances between your indexing
and the actual rear cassette spacing,
so it's worth bearing that in mind
and do not mix them up. Now the easiest way
of actually replacing the pulley wheels
certainly has to be by removing the rear wheel
from the bike and changing them individually,
that way, you're not gonna have
all different bits and pieces laying all
over the floor. So, I'm gonna start
by removing the upper pulley,
or the guide pulley, depending on what is
on the side of your pulley wheel, itself. So,
you simply hold the cage of the rear derailleur
and then undo. In most cases, it's a
three millimeter sized alum key bolt.
Remove that tiny little bolt, put
it somewhere safe, don't wanna lose that,
and then simply remove that pulley wheel.
So, before you go fitting your upper
or guide pulley, make sure you're fitting it
in the correct direction. In most cases,
the writing will be facing outwards
and some cases, even in the little directional arrows,
so pay attention to that, too,
because, although it may look
to be going in the wrong direction
on first look, it's actually not
because of the way that the chain wraps
around the pulley and then wraps
around the cassette to go forward. Now,
before you tighten up those pulley wheel bolts,
make sure that either you're using Threadlock
if it's recommended by the Manufacturer,
or alternatively, a little dab
of grease before torquing them up
to the recommended torque setting. Next up,
it's time to replace that tension pulley,
so it's exactly the same process
of the guide pulley. So, you're just going
to want to remove that three millimeter bolt
and then keep it somewhere safe, again,
and then drop that pulley out
of the MEC cage. So, again, give inside
that MEC Cage a good clean up,
because it's amazing how much dirt
and grime does get in there. In my case,
even a little bit of thread has got
in there, somehow. Now, it's just the case
of refitting that tension wheel, so again,
pay any attention to any writing
on the side, which is telling you the direction
of travel which it should be going in,
and then, just place it inside
of the MEC Cage. And then, with your little bolt,
place it in, of course, again,
sticking to any recommendations
about using Threadlock or Sumblime
and then torque it up. (Torque tightening)
Now, it's just the case of refitting your
rear wheel. Now, if you find that,
for some reason, that run-off chain
is not how it should be, don't worry,
just simply remove the offending pulley wheel
and refit it with the chain in the correct place
and you're good to go with those fast,
smooth, jockey wheels that you deserve.
Now, remember to like and share this video
with your friends, give it a big thumbs up,
because now, you're gonna be having smoother
riding, and also, better gear changing, too.
Remember, as well, to check out the GCN Shop
at https://shop.globalcyclingnetwork.com
where we have a whole heap of different products
for you to choose from, including, get this,
a new multi-tool, too! How cool is that?
And, now, for two more great videos,
this time, how to revitalize your jockey wheels,
click just down here, and
for another great tech video, click just down here.