Originally Posted by
Kapurnicus
This is excellent advice. Something I did not do the first time, but have gotten much better at in later projects. Documentation is boring, but seems to be the key to taking pretty much anything apart. Pictures are also a lot cheaper and easier than they were 15 years ago, so no reason not to snap a hundred from every angle (I recall spending over $100 on a 64mb memory card for a digital camera about that time haha).
Since you have nearly the same setup, anything you recommend replacing while its apart? Any problems these components are known to have? It looks like its decent stuff for a mid-level bike. I see a lot of Shimano which is a name I recognize. I know one of the pedal bearings is acting a little gravely, so I'll do something about that. If I'm going to remove the bottom bracket should I go ahead and replace that bearing system?
I recommend a complete tear down and that means overhauling all the bearings (wheels, headset and bb) One thing I will say is keep everything even if you plan to upgrade, When you get the bb out and cleaned up take a good look at the cups. if they seem in good shape you can simply put in new bearings and grease, if the cups are pitted then a square taper sealed unit isn't too expensive just be sure to research what size of sealed cartridge BB you need for your crank and bb shell - which on that trek is almost for sure 68 MM wide. The mytenspeeds website referenced above has an excellent section on bottom brackets - removing, overhauling replacing etc. Since you have been riding the bike think about anything aside from the crunchy pedal that has caught your attention, otherwise plan to thoroughly clean and then lube all the working parts checking for wear - broken sprocket teeth on your rear derailleur etc. I assume you will replace the chain and freewheel, bar tape, tires and tubes, brake pads cables and housing etc i.e the
consumables.